In the buffer zone of El Zarza Wildlife Refuge there are several communities such as: El Zarza, El Jardin del Condor and Rio Blanco, with high levels of poverty and child malnutrition. Their inhabitants are dedicated to agricultural and livestock activities. Although there are no threats to the interior of the PA, there are inappropriate agricultural practices in the buffer zone that affect the fragmentation of the area and the contamination of water resources. In response to this, the PA administration developed a technical support project for socioeconomic benefit based on organic family gardens and greenhouses of the community association ‘Juntos por el Progreso’ of the Rio Blanco community, which promote food sovereignty and help reduce pressures on the refuge.