Author: Claudia Kirschning

The Paris Agreement introduces the obligation of accountability and accounting of attainments towards mitigation goals in all countries and establishes the Enhanced Transparency Framework. Within this dynamic context, the pioneering project “Accounting Rules” with Mexico, Costa Rica and Colombia draws up proposals to be applied at the national level.

The Paris Agreement demands national contributions from all parties towards the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which are to limit global warming and increase resilience. Likewise, the agreement introduces the obligation of accountability or accounting of the NDCs, thereby allowing the international community to monitor achievements of national contributions. The Agreement also strengthens one of the Convention’s initial principles, transparency, by converting it into the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).

Recommendations for accounting and ETF instruments will be presented at COP24

The year 2018 marks an important milestone for both aspects. Until the end of 2018, the Special Working Group installed by the Conference of the Parties (COP) must present recommendations for implementation measures (modalities, procedures and guidelines) for accounting and ETF. The Accounting Rules project launches two publications that contribute to these discussions.

BioPaSOS Project of CATIE participated in this meeting from May 7th to the 9th, 2018 in Mexico City

Producers, government representatives of international cooperation and some other organizations of the industry, gathered together at a National Meeting of Knowledge and Wisdom Exchange of Rural Producers that integrate Biodiversity in their Productive Activities in Mexico, a space in which they shared experiences and identified synergies, strengths and opportunities of staggering.

The event took place in Mexico City during May 7th, 8th, and 9th and it was organized by the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in the context of the project Biodiversity Integration in Mexican Agriculture (IKI IBA, its Spanish acronym), executed by this agency joint with the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA, its Spanish acronym).

BioPaSOS Project coordinator in Jalisco, Héctor Fabio Messa mentioned that the event brought together inter-sectoral experts of different regions of Mexico, included producers, who presented good management practices applied in corn crops, agroforestry and fruity systems, as well as silvo-pastoril and apiculture systems.

Producers, representatives of government, international cooperation and other organizations of the sector, met at the National Meeting of Knowledge Exchange of Rural Producers in Mexico

Messa emphasized that during the meeting, Jalisco’s presentation evidenced the achievements to promote sustainable livestock in the region, highlighting the governance model of the intermunicipal systems and the initiative actions of emissions reduction promoted by the state government through developed support of the silvopastoril systems.

The representative organizations of such state were SAGARPA, The Rural Development Secretariat (SEDER, its Spanish acronym), The Intermunicipal environment board for the integral management of the lower watershed of Ayuquila River (JIRA, its Spanish acronym), the Intermunicipal  Environmental Board of the South Coasts, Natural Development Sustainable Spaces A.C (ENDESU, its Spanish acronym) and the livestock producer Raúl Santana, who develops and promotes the silvopastoril systems in San Buenaventura, at El Limon municipality in partnership with BioPaSOS project.

At the end of the event, the participants agreed that the developed actions for biodiversity conservation and eco-systematic services in the agricultural production systems constitute an opportunity for small and medium- sized producers, who represent about the 80% of the agro production sector.

Besides, they agreed to have meetings at a regional level to spread generated knowledge, systemize project results to give key information to policy makers, establish  methodologies  for biodiversity  monitoring in production systems to evaluate effectiveness of applied practices and identified strategic partners and synergy opportunities to add efforts to contribute with the development productive systems friendly with the environment.

At the event, strategic allies and opportunities for synergies were identified in order to join efforts to contribute to the development of environmentally friendly production systems

 Link of the article:

https://www.catie.ac.cr/en/catie-news/3498-rural-producers-share-experiences-about-biodiversity-integration-in-productive-processes.html

This article is from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE). The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author. 

 

The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, with the support of GIZ, advances in the sustainable use and conservation of Mexico’s biodiversity through improvements in the policy and governmental programs of the agricultural sector, and the exchange of experiences among producers, authorities and international organizations.

During the last decades, the changes in land use of almost 60 million hectares of forests, pastures and temperate forests for agricultural and livestock use have put at risk a large number of species, decreasing the capacity of the country’s ecosystems to ensure the supply of ecosystem services. The transformation of ecosystems poses a risk to food production and the Mexican agricultural sector, since 88 percent of the 130 plants grown in Mexico depend for their production on the services provided by ecosystems, such as pollination by insects, birds and mammals [1].

 

The producer Miguel Ku Balam shows his sustainable cornfield. Ejido Tabasco, Quintana Roo

 

To address this serious problem, the project “Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the Mexican Agricultural Sector (IKI IBA)”, contributed to the creation and implementation of the Center for the Integration of Biodiversity of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (CIB-SAGARPA), which will function as a space for inter-institutional cooperation that helps to reduce the impacts of agricultural activities on ecosystems.

 

Facade of the Center for the Integration of Biodiversity SAGARPA

 

It also contributes to fulfilling the commitments of the Mexican government regarding the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in the productive activities of the food sector, established at the 13th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity, to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals and to achieving the Mitigation and Adaptation Commitments to Climate Change for the period 2020-2030.

Moreover, the project organized the First National Meeting of exchange and knowledge of rural producers that integrate biodiversity in their productive activities (7th – 9th May 2018) to promote collaboration among social organizations, government institutions, academic groups and multilateral organizations.

 

National Meeting of exchange and knowledge of rural producers who integrate biodiversity in their productive activities

 

The meeting analyzed the success factors of agricultural experiences that have incorporated best practices for the conservation of soil, water, and biodiversity, in productive chains such as cocoa, corn, coffee, fruit and honey, with the objective of identifying lessons learnt and recommendations for the improvement of the national agricultural policy.

In addition, the participating institutions established direct contact with more than 30 representatives of regional producer organizations with which it is expected to promote sustainable agricultural practices and strengthen existing production chains.

 

 

The project Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the Mexican Agricultural Sector is implemented by GIZ on behalf of Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) of Germany. SAGARPA and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) are the project´s political partners and the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are the project´s associates.

Contact email: project.ikiiba[AT]giz.de

 

[1] Ashworth, L. et al. (2009). Pollinator-dependent food production in Mexico. Biological Conservation 142, 1050–1057).

The IKI finances climate change and biodiversity projects in developing and newly industrialized countries. One year after the start of the IKI interface in Mexico, the second exchange workshop made it possible to identify the contributions of the IKI projects to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) of Mexico and the National Biodiversity Strategy (ENBioMex). Likewise, the implementing organizations and their Mexican counterparts discussed the benefits that the IKI projects generate in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his welcoming words, Fabián Guerrero, Director of Bilateral Cooperation of the Mexican Ministry of Environment SEMARNAT thanked the IKI projects for their work in terms of climate action and biodiversity conservation in Mexico. Lea Herberg, representative of BMU, highlighted that the IKI finances 38 projects in Mexico which are implemented by 16 institutions. Jasmin Fraatz, director of the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance, stressed the importance of facilitating knowledge management of the IKI initiative through instruments such as the newsletter and this “IKI Alliance Mexico” blog.

 

The IKI projects within the framework of the NDC, ENBioMex and Agenda 2030

During the first day of work, Juan Carlos Arredondo, General Director of Climate Change Policies of SEMARNAT, stressed that in order to implement the NDC, Mexico is working on the development of an ecological order with adaptation criteria, in addition to the publication of the standard of verification of GHG emissions, and updating regulations of the National Emissions Registry. Andrea Cruz, Coordinator of Biodiversity Strategies and International Cooperation of the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) announced that for the development of the ENBioMex, work is being carried out in its diffusion with other actors, in addition to the development of evaluation mechanisms. Fernando Camacho, General Director of Institutional Development and Promotion of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) shared experiences in the integration of eco-systemic services as part of the adaptation actions.

 

 

 

The discussion in the workshops focused on the contributions of the IKI projects to the fulfillment of the NDC goals and the ENBioMex of Mexico. Important contributions were identified, for example, the promotion of efficient energy systems that is part of the work of the Ciclim project, as well as the Green Finance Facility project. Other examples were the development of an inventory of adaptation measures, of the Go4Eba project, as well as the work of Adaptur in the prevention of risks and the use of ecosystem services in tourist regions.

Andrea Hurtado (GIZ), presented a study of the co-benefits between the SDGs and the Mexican NDC. She highlighted that 82% of 25 co-benefits analyzed are shared by both agendas. In working groups, attendees reflected on the co-benefits generated by the IKI projects to achieve the SDGs. They stressed that the IKI portfolio contributes to all the objectives of the Agenda 2030. Adaptation and mitigation projects create co-benefits mainly with SDG 7 (energy), 8 (decent work and economic growth), 9 (industry, innovation), 11 (cities), 15 (terrestrial ecosystems), and 17 (alliances). Biodiversity projects have the majority of their co-benefits with SDG 2 (zero hunger), 6 (water), 12 (responsible production and consumption), 13 (climate), and 17 (alliances).

Knowledge management of the IKI in Mexico

Regarding the current state of knowledge management, Elke Bischler, IKI Program Office, highlighted the impact of the IKI interface newsletter, since 3,000 people in total receive it, of which 550 are representatives of the Mexican government. Likewise, approximately 600 representatives of implementing organizations are subscribers, as well as 80 representatives of the German government.

As a result of the workshop, the participants agreed to strengthen the blog and the IKI newsletter by generating inputs about impacts of the projects. Likewise, during 2018 an advisory workshop will be organized for the production of informative articles destined to the participants of the projects.

 

 

In Mexico, the BMU has assigned the interface function to the bilateral project “Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance” with the objective of promoting exchange among the IKI projects in Mexico and informing the BMU about the entire IKI portfolio of the country. The Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance facilitates the knowledge management about IKI projects in Mexico, through annual exchange among projects, as well as the preparation and sending of a newsletter about IKI projects.

The second exchange workshop was held on April 12 and 13 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) in Mexico City.

 

The Mexican legislative power approves the reforms to the General Law on Climate Change (LGCC), which harmonize the law with the objectives established in the 2nd Article of the Paris Agreement. This action proves Mexico´s compromise to contribute to the global target of stabilizing the greenhouse gas emissions concentration in the planet.

On April 25, 2018 the Mexican Senate approved the reforms to the General Law on Climate Change (LGCC, for its Spanish acronym). These reforms take place in a relevant international context where it is necessary to harmonize the national legal framework with the precepts to which Mexico committed within the framework of the 21st Conference of the Parties in Paris, France in 2016.

Given its leadership role on climate issues, Mexico made an important effort to update and harmonize the national legal framework with the commitments established in the Paris Agreement, related to global goals that seek to reduce GHG emissions to keep the rise in global temperature below 2 °C, through the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The amendments to the LGCC expand the scope of the Law, adjust and include new definitions, while adapting and modifying faculties of the national government. The reform establishes the principle of progressivity (Article 26) and respect for Human Rights, gender equality and intergenerational equity, with the aim of harmonizing the precepts of the Paris Agreement with the national legal framework (read more).

On the other hand, goals established in the NDCs  are included. These establish a GHG reduction of 22%. % by 2030, and if there are specific conditions regarding an international climate agreement and financial support, emissions can be reduced by up to 36%. Likewise, the NDC of Mexico establishes commitments in adaptation to climate change, which include increasing adaptation capacity to climate change in the social sector, adaptation based on ecosystems as well as adaptation of strategic infrastructure and productive systems.

Similarly, the Second Transitory Article establishes that in the first 10 months of the reforms’ entry into force, an Emissions Trading Pilot and an early warning system will be implemented, as well as the publication of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).

The minute was approved with 84 votes in favor, zero votes against and one abstention. It was sent to the Mexican President, as required by the Mexican Constitution.

50 years after a catastrophic flood in the Netherlands in 1953, climate change imposes new challenges on the Dutch, including more intense rainfall, rising sea levels, with the alarming increase of up to 2 centimeters per year in their rural areas and increase in temperature.

In the Dutch cities it is raining more frequently and more intensely, and they are simply not equipped to handle so much water, due to the intense urbanization that has reduced the infiltration zones of approximately 25% to 10%; runoff has increased from 10% to 55%; evaporation has been reduced from 40% to 30%; and the drainage system has no capacity to process any more water.

Being aware that a flood would have even bigger impacts today than 50 years ago, due to the increase in population, the Dutch have decided to opt for a spatial adaptation in their cities that follows the Delta Program. This programs is aimed at counting by 2050 with cities that are spatially planned, climate-proof and resilient to water to face the main effects of climate change: sea level rise, river overflows in winter, extreme rainfall in summer, droughts and heat.

Spatial Adaptation is only one of the three lines of action of the strategy to approach climate resilience, which also includes new flood protection standards (based on the impacts that a flood would have and not on the probability of flooding) and availability of water for economic activities and nature.

The implementation of the strategy began in 2015 by bringing together urban designers and hydrologists to map the points that are vulnerable to flooding in the city in case of heavy rain, taking as a reference 60 mm of rain per hour. The result in Amsterdam was the identification of 97 flood risk points, and 14 that required immediate intervention. This mapping has allowed knowing how water flows through the city and dividing the city into hydrological entities to monitor the behavior of the rain and prioritize urban works and the maintenance of the drainage system.

Based on the decision that the expansion of the drainage system is not an option, due to the high financial cost, the Dutch have introduced a combination of measures that seek to create “sponge cities”. Such cities are resilient and climate-proof and have the capacity to absorb as much water as possible in the case of heavy rainfall, reducing the pressure on the drainage system.

Water sensitive urban design to be resilient and climate-proof has played a very important role in containing water caused by intense rainfall. Multipurpose urban spaces have been designed that function as play areas, squares or parking lots, but in the presence of rain they turn into water tanks. Rainwater storage levels range from domestic storage in barrels to large areas such as the Watersquare Benthemplein in Rotterdam, a 9,500 cubic meters play area that has 3 areas that become retention ponds in the presence of heavy rain; or the Underground water storage in Kruisplein with a storage capacity of 2,300 cubic meters; and the Museumpark car park with a storage capacity of 10,000 cubic meters.

Green roofs have also played a very important role, which has even created competition with solar cells. Amsterdam has 4,000 square meters of green roofs, most of them built during 2016, but the Dakaker, in Rotterdam, is still the prime example, as it was the first green roof built in Europe, with an area of ​​one thousand meters and an absorption capacity of up to 60,000 liters.

 

 

 

References:

https://english.deltacommissaris.nl/delta-programme/regions-and-generic-topics/spatial-adaptation

https://english.deltacommissaris.nl/delta-programme

https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/amsterdam-rainproof

https://www.rotterdam.nl/wonen-leven/waterplan-2/

https://www.publicspace.org

htttps://wwww.land8.com

https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/rooftop-revolution

 

This article is from Raquel Vargas from the National Water Commission. The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author. 

 

If building Mexico City on a lake was audacious, the Dutch were even more daring to build their cities below sea level. 60% of the country´s surface, where 9 million Dutch people are living, is vulnerable to being flooded and, consequently, flood risk management has become an integral part of their water policy.

 

 

The first unsuccessful attempts to control the water were paddles pulled by horses, which gave rise to the Dutch saying “That does not gain any land to the dike.” Until the beginning of the fifteenth century when the mill was built, this instrument allowed them for the first time to have sufficient capacity to pump water out of the polders (land reclaimed from the sea) and ensure that the land had favorable conditions for agriculture. The first mill was built in 1413 and later dozens of them were built throughout the region, so for the first time the Dutch slept peacefully, thinking they had managed to control the water.

 

Despite these advances, on the night of February 1, 1953, a fatal combination of high waves and storm broke a total of 89 dams, and flooded an area of ​​approximately 150,000 hectares where 1,835 people died. It was the ingenious solution of Mayor Nieuwekerk that managed to stop the entry of seawater into Dutch territory, when he asked the ship’s captain Twee Gebroeders to maneuver the ship and position it in such a way that it lodged in the hole that had been made in the dike, managing to stop the flow of water.

 

The consequences of the catastrophe were enormous, in addition to the human losses, cattle were lost, and the fertile land ceased to be suitable for agriculture for many years, due to the salt intrusion. A total of 72,000 people had to be evacuated and relocated to safer places.

 

 

 

 

This terrible event motivated that just twenty days after the tragedy the Delta Commission (Deltacommissie) was formed, which would be responsible for the implementation of the Delta Plan aimed at ensuring sustainable protection in the delta region, without closing the sea lanes so as not to affect the economy of the country due to the great economic importance of the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.

 

With the construction of the new hydraulic infrastructure, which introduced the auxiliary dikes that are found in the mouths of the channels and that divide the water into multiple compartments, it was possible to better control water currents and also favor mobility and maritime communication between the different regions of Holland.

 

Not only did the new hydraulic approach allow for better protection of the Dutch territory, but it also brought a series of environmental benefits to the country. By changing the boundaries between fresh and salt water with the construction of the levees, the water balance of the delta region was modified favorably, thereby improving the supply of fresh water for agriculture. Less fresh water was needed to maintain the balance between drinking and fresh water and the total water balance in the delta region increased. Different types of locks were placed in different places to allow the passage of fresh water and thus discard dirty water, so that the quality of the water was also improved.

 

To date, the Delta Plan is the planning instruments and the framework for action set out in the directives to protect the Netherlands against floods. The plan has evolved over the years, incorporating a climate change perspective by adding in its objectives to make Dutch cities climate and resilient to weather conditions by 2050, but its overall objective remains to ensure the management of flood risks.

 

References:

https://english.deltacommissaris.nl/delta-programme/regions-and-generic-topics/spatial-adaptation

https://english.deltacommissaris.nl/delta-programme

https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/amsterdam-rainproof

https://www.rotterdam.nl/wonen-leven/waterplan-2/

https://www.publicspace.org

htttps://wwww.land8.com

https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/rooftop-revolution

 

This article is from Raquel Vargas from the National Water Commission. The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author. 

To strengthen and promote coordination among subnational climate actions and national goals, the GIZ-implemented VICLIM project offered a webinar about experiences with municipal climate action plans in Mexico and local greenhouse gas emissions inventories in Costa Rica.

The webinar took place on the LEDS LAC platform on 21st of March 2018, with more than 150 participants from 28 countries following the presentations and engaging in a lively discussion.

“Today, cities already account for 70 % of global CO2 emissions, a figure that will continue to rise in the future due to the increasing urbanization” stresses Tangmar Marmon, Project Director of VICLIM. Therefore, local and regional governments, and in particular cities play a key role in developing and implementing solutions for tackling climate change, and in achieving national and international mitigation goals.

Cities can help to close the gap towards the 2-degree scenario. Based on: http://www.c40.org/researches/advancing-climate-ambition-infographic

In this context, VICLIM aims to improve the involvement of subnational actors in the implementation of the National Determined Contributions (NDCs). The project strengthens the actors’ capacities for developing climate policies and actions and for establishing cooperation mechanisms with national authorities. It supports the exchange and scaling-up of good practices.

Emily Castro, Project Coordinator of VICLIM in Mexico, and Arturo Palero, Director of Transversal Management of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development in Jalisco (Semadet), highlighted that subnational governments have an essential role in achieving national climate goals, due to their responsibility for services such as water supply and treatment, public lighting, and waste management.

In this sense, the General Law on Climate Change establishes the obligation to develop Climate Change Plans for Mexican federative entities, but not for municipalities. However, there have been efforts that enable municipalities to engage in climate actions: for example, the PACMUN program of ICLEI and various states´ strategies aimed at promoting the development of local climate action agendas and creating funds, which are available to municipalities.

Challenges, opportunities and suggestions obtained thanks to the work done with municipalities in Jalisco. © GIZ

In Jalisco, the State Law on Climate Change requests from municipalities the development and implementation of climate change plans. From 2015 until today, two thirds of them have already advanced in implementing a plan and have carried out projects such as vulnerability assessments and other specific adaptation and mitigation actions.

In addition, Semadet, with the support of GIZ, prepares a guide to help municipalities to create and update the plans, to facilitate their alignment with international, federal and state instruments and to identify priority actions for each location. The guide contains tools for the development of greenhouse gas emissions inventories, establishes strategic lines for adaptation, mitigation and transversality, and advises on goals and objectives for long-term planning, sources of financing and income diversification.

General content for the implementation of the guideline © GIZ

In Costa Rica, GIZ supports the implementation of the Costa Rican NDC through the implementation of the Climate Action Project II together with the Ministry of Environment and Energy. The project works in four components: Climate governance; Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV); Climate financing; and Facilitation of knowledge exchange at municipal and international level.

Six selected municipalities are part of this work. They are supported in the preparation of emission inventories and municipal action plans with the aim of systematizing the process and quantifying the contributions to the NDC. The key to this process is the participation of civil society to strengthen municipal actions.

For further details and the presentations (only available in Spanish), please click here

 

 

Green infrastructure is an element with the potential to trigger holistic planning. It has been identified as an effective strategy to face the challenges of climate change in cities, thanks to its integrating nature of different urban functions and its multiple environmental benefits.

Common reflections and the exchange of experiences at the Green Infrastructure and Climate Change Forum were the basis for preparing the roadmap, which seeks to guide efforts to contribute to the effective implementation of green infrastructure projects, with the purpose of converting it into a common practice in Mexican cities.

 

Biopark San Antonio, a clear example of green infrastrcuture © Ismael López Padilla

The concept of green infrastructure has begun to enter government agendas very recently and is therefore still lacking a homogeneous conceptual framework. In order to build a common reference framework, different national and international actors gathered, who have experience in the topic.

On the first day of the forum, presentations of different experiences, visions and projects were given. During the second day, three work tables were held: green streets, biodiversity and urban ecosystems, and green infrastructure in urban development. At these work tables, the benefits that green infrastructure provides to cities were discussed, as well as the role of each sector in the different stages related to the project cycle.

Participants and poster exhibition © Tania Tovar Torres

The event was attended by over 70 people, including actors from local and federal government, private sector, academy and civil society organizations. Additionally, about 50 people followed the online transmission.

Group discussion © Tania Tovar Torres

The event was organized by the Climate Protection Program in the Urban Policy of Mexico (CiClim), the Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (SEDATU) and the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). It took place on 22th and 23th of March at the San Antonio Urban Biopark. The park is located in an area which is in the process of reconversion and redensification on the site of a former cement factory. It is a clear example of how green infrastructure contributes to the balance between natural and constructed spaces, providing an open space for public use with multiple social and environmental benefits for the area.

 

The CiClim project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and forms part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Natural Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).

 

The Mexican financial sector, in partnership with the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance, is working on the development of a monitoring system to identify the financial flows for climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in Mexico.

Banking institutions of the Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM), in collaboration with the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance implemented by GIZ, are going to work on the development of a measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system of climate finance flows, which will position the Mexican financial sector at the forefront of climate finance issues.

 

The MRV system requires to identify and define elements to develop the system in a first step. It will track financial allocations to climate change actions in the banking sector. The final product is supposed to be a reference framework which will be used by the 50 banks currently operating in Mexico.

The system will offer several opportunities for the Mexican banking sector. For instance, it will simplify the reporting of financial flows allocated for mitigation and adaptation actions. Among other aspects, the system will report the characteristics of the contributors to mitigation and adaptation actions. It will also track the progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The development and implementation of this system also implies several challenges. In this regard, it is necessary to guarantee its operability and implement incentives for the banking sector given the level of green investments. At the same time, it should contribute to the fulfillment of Mexico’s climate policy objectives, while being adapted to the practices of the Mexican banking sector as wells as to international standards.

 

The development of the preliminary phase of this Project is significant for Mexico. The country has played an active role in the climate finance working group of the G-20. Given the constant movement of global markets, its national financial sector has several business opportunities in the development of innovative instruments such as green portfolio investments and capital markets.

The launching of the preliminary phase of the project took place on 25th April during a meeting between representatives of the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance and finance institutions such as the Mexican National Bank of Foreign Trade (Bancomext), Trust Funds for Rural Development (Fira), Citygroup, HSBC, y Banorte. This initiative is part of the activities that the Mexican German Alliance of Climate Change develops in partnership with banking institutions to build capacities for development, involving the financial sector in the implementation of innovations for climate protection.

The Lagoon System of Alvarado (Veracruz) was traditionally a coal production area with mangrove wood. Currently, communities can recover this activity, under an efficient, sustainable and legal production approach. To this end, a series of participatory workshops were held to promote this added value opportunity.

To achieve an efficient, sustainable and legal mangrove coal production in the Alvarado Lagoon System (SLA), it is necessary to build local capacities through workshops and the exchange of successful community experiences. Thus, as part of the IKI project “Restoration of mangrove forest landscape“, Pronatura invited the expert trainer Olegario Velazco Cansino from “La Solución Somos Todos” (El Paraíso, Tabasco). This community has developed sustainable silviculture in mangroves and coal production for more than 15 years. The expert facilitated a comprehensive training in La Mojarra (Acula, Veracruz), between April 10th and 17th, 2018. Two main sessions with more than twenty participants were conducted, in addition to the continuous monitoring of the process by community leaders.

 

 

The motivation of these workshops comes from the local context, where illegal mangrove wood is still available in the market at very low prices, making legal timber uncompetitive. Coal is identified as a relevant window of opportunity for communities with harvesting permits (Management Units for the Conservation of Wildlife). This product can be made from leftover wood or chipping, in addition to having added value potential. The production of this coal also has a local historical background, since it was traditionally produced in communities with ovens made of mud and grass. However, the production had several disadvantages, for being very slow, laborious and lacking homogeneous quality.

 

 

Thus, for this training process two furnaces were built, improved by the experience of the communities in Tabasco, which require less work and allow to maintain a control of the simple burning process. The methodology and best practices for the use of the furnace generate better yields, with high quality charcoal which is competitive in the market. In addition to the technical aspects of the production, the training seeks to guide SLA communities towards strict administrative, financial and legal control.

During the workshops, the complete mangrove coal production process was carried out, which included: the preparation of the wood; the counting of wood that enters; the efficient arrangement of wood in the oven; switched on; control and surveillance; switched off; extraction and quality control; as well as finally the registration in journals of the production and sales.

The elaboration sequence is described in the following video.

 

 

 

From a community experience, the training allowed the participants to visualize the benefits that could be obtained from the production of mangrove coal. Although it is an incipient process for the communities of the lagoon system, there was growing interest in this alternative, that represents a more efficient and sustainable production approach.

This project is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) of Germany and is implemented by  Pronatura Veracruz A.C.

This article is from Pronatura Veracruz A.C. The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author. 

A variety of organizations gathered together to build a vision of the country in this subject

With the objective of generating spaces of analysis, reflection and discussion among the regional initiatives that work in for friendly livestock in Mexico, it took place the third forum-workshop Regional Perspectives on Sustainable Livestock for a National Vision.

This event was from April 11th to the 13th at the Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) form the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in Cuatitlán, Mexican State, the participants worked in building a vision of the country regarding sustainable livestock.

At the forum, Héctor Messa coordinator of the local Project BioPaSOS (Biodiversity and Agro-silvo-pastoral sustainable landscapes) in Jalisco, participated in a  Panel of Experiences from the Occident of Mexico showing the general characteristics of this project implemented by CATIE (Tropical Agricultural  Research and Higher Education Center) and the actions made in such territory.

 

 

The participants worked on building a vision of  Mexico as a referent country for sustainable livestock

Among the shared experiences, there was the presentation of the established alliance with institutions that are part of the Initiative of Reduction Emissions (IRE) and other local partners in Jalisco. Besides, the methodological strategy of the field schools (ECA, its Spanish acronym), was presented and with which it is pretended to strengthen capacities of the technicians and livestock owners of institutions involved in the project.

Messa emphasized that the participation in the forum allowed them to get to know the job that has been developed by the organizations in various regions of Mexico regarding livestock issues, which is a key to advance establishing synergies and joint jobs.

Besides, with support from Environment Inter-municipal Board of the South Cost (JICOSUR) and the Environment Inter-municipal Board for the integral management of the lower  basin of Ayuquila River (JIRA), promoted the participation of two livestock producers from the  south coast region and from the lower basin of Ayuquila River:  Nicanor Martínez curator of  La Meza, Municipalty, La Huerta and Arturo Uribe, President of the Livestock local Association of the Tonaya Municipalty, who presented their experiences and share with other experts about their actions environmentally friendly livestock.

This forum was organized by the National Commission on Natural Protected Areas (CONANP, Its Spanish acronym), the Institute of Agricultural and Rural Sciences (ICAR, its Spanish acronym) and the FES from the UNAM in partnership with the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN, its Spanish acronym) and the National Institute of Ecology (INECOL). These organizations had the support of the German Cooperation for the Development (GIZ), GmbH, the German consultant GFA Consulting Group and the international Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN).

 

Find out more:

https://www.catie.ac.cr/en/catie-news/3465-mexico-seeks-to-become-a-referent-country-in-sustainable-livestock.html 

This article is from the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE). The content of this article is the sole responsibility of the author.