The EcoValor Mexico Project (www.ecovalor.mx) was implemented between November 2013 and March 2018 and was characterized by almost 5 years of close collaboration between the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
What are the results of our joint work?
Among others, the following results have been achieved:
• Integrating an innovative approach that strengthens biodiversity conservation efforts: Mexico has been a successful pioneer in integrating the SE of natural protected areas (ANP, for its Spanish acronym) into policies to strengthen the CONANP and the management of ANP, such as Management Programs and Technical Opinions on Environmental Impacts as a tool for strategic financing.
• Strengthening the technical and management capacities to work with the approach.
• Communicating in a differentiated way the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems that Mexico conserves with great effort.
• Positioning the ANPs in various spaces for reviewing public policies (for example, Inter-institutional Technical Group of INEGI and in the Inter-Institutional Group for the Assessment of Ecosystem Services of SEMARNAT)
• Strengthening the strategic focus of financing for ANP, seeking alternatives, such as collaboration with the private sector in a sustainable manner, identifying risks and opportunities.
What have we learned during the project?
• ANPs are directly contributing to key sectors of the country’s economy: for being strategic zones for the forestry sector, they are a strategic asset for the agricultural sector, they are an ally in the protection against extreme climatic phenomena, and they are decisive zones for the fishing in Mexico.
• The Protected Areas of Cozumel Island are reducing the vulnerability of the population, and tourism appreciates its attributes in millions of pesos.
• The Cabo Pulmo National Park is widely recognized and valued by the population of Mexico and the world for being the “Aquarium of the World” of regional and global importance.
• The Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park provides drinking water for 13 million people and offers local income opportunities thanks to its woods
• The ANPs of the Sierra Madre Complex of Chiapas contribute to infiltrate water worth 16,000 million pesos (around 800 million USD) and provide opportunities for local coffee production.
• The ANPs of the Términos y Pantanos de Centla Lagoon Complex provide protection against storms and represent an important biological filter for the region.
• The approach allows generating a common language with the private sector (natural capital), where terms such as “biodiversity or ecosystem services” can be part of a technical language and are sometimes less common.
We appreciate the participation of numerous representatives from different sectors that have contributed to the project’s achievements, including:
• The General and Regional Directorates of CONANP that have participated in the project
• Public institutions at the federal, state and municipal level (SEMARNAT, INEGI, CONABIO, Municipalities, etc.)
• Academic and research centers, including UNAM, Centro GEO, Universidad Iberoamericana, Conservación Estratégica
• Civil society such as WWF México, ProNatura, Reforestamos México, Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature, etc.
• Private companies and private sector organizations: AMEBIN, Banorte, Citibanamex, ProTeak, Eco Consult
• Cooperation organizations: the BIOFIN project (UNDP), the French Development Agency (AfD), projects and programs of GIZ: COBEN, PROMIP, Selva Maya, BIOMAR, the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance.
On May 23rd, 2018, the closing of the EcoValor Mexico project was celebrated, with representatives of CONANP, GIZ and strategic allies.
EcoValor Mexico was implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), through the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The implementing partner in Mexico was the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP).
