Did you know that encouraging socio-environmental ventures, apart from contributing to the community’s economy, is also a strategy for adaptation to climate change, conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity within Natural Protected Areas?

At the beginning of 2020 this project arose, seeking to build a portfolio of the socio-environmental enterprises who were working on activities related to biodiversity conservation and adaptation to climate change within Protected Natural Areas, as well as in their areas of influence. The GIZ projects Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance III and the project for the Conservation of Biodiversity in the Neo-Volcanic-Axis (COBEN), launched a call aimed at socio-environmental entrepreneurs. Over 300 ideas and initiatives responded.

It is important to highlight that the participation of women within the governance mechanisms of each enterprise was one of the relevant evaluation criteria within the selection process. After this complex selection, nine potential ventures resulted.

After a year and a half of hard work on behalf the nine selected socio-environmental ventures, GIZ together with the support of the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC), has completed this project with a business conference, held on September 9, 2021.

The aim of this business conference was to create a virtual space where the nine socio-environmental enterprises could meet with potential investors and institutions in order to establish commercial and investment alliances, as well as other alliances to strengthen their capacities and business models.

The results that stand out from this project are:

1. The graduation of nine socio-environmental enterprises, capable of generating opportunities to increase their income, with potential to strengthen their capacities, their impact on the territory and their contributions in ecosystem conservation and climate change adaptation.
2. Connections between the nine socio-environmental enterprises and other key actors. Business and/or public entities impact investment funds, legal or financial advisers, certifiers, and research centres selected from companies to strengthen their value chain and business model.

In this sense, Gemma Santana, creative director of México Sostenible, stated: “Excluding the community from the local economy does not help solve problems. For true economic change, we must encourage profitable ventures and business models with socio-environmental impact; promoting socio-environmental enterprises in Mexico is essential if we are to meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda and especially the adaptation goals of Mexico’s NDC.”