The rehabilitation of forest ecosystems – in a socially and ecologically compatible way and at a larger landscape scale – can provide a bridge while maximizing co-benefits for communities and biodiversity. This project will test pilot initiatives to optimize the implementation of actions that simultaneously contribute to both land-based mitigation and adaptation strategies through the rehabilitation of forest ecosystems at landscape scale.
This objective will be achieved through:
1) the identification of “best bets” to optimize the coherent implementation of land-based mitigation and adaptation strategies;
2) support for the development of national policies and programmes that integrate the “best bets”; and
3) stimulating the engagement of decision-makers and investors through global analysis, networking, and policy influence.
Objective and Activities
The purpose of the programme is to build and strengthen capacities in participating countries to advance climate action. Since its launch in 2011, the programme has focused on strengthening greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory systems to obtain more accurate and transparent climate data, developing Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS), and developing and implementing sectoral mitigation activities in selected private and public sectors.
To this end, tailored advisory services were agreed upon and complemented by global and regional networks and advisory options, technical workshops, and training. Shared challenges were discussed at international conferences and incorporated into specialized publications. In response to the emerging needs of partner countries, programmatic approaches and institutional arrangements were used to support the development of Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) submissions in the period leading up to the 2015 Paris Agreement and, subsequently, planning for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
This project provides basic and advanced training on renewable energy grid integration in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its target group consists of specialized staff from key institutions in the public and private energy sectors. Specialized personnel are trained in grid operations and in how to develop an enabling economic and policy environment for the energy sector. The training focuses on transmission and distribution grids, flexible conventional power generation, storage systems, demand-side management, and communication technologies for flexible system control. The basic and advanced training plans include seminars, workshops, and webinars in English, as well as a mobile exhibition in English and Spanish.
ValuES is a global project commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and funded within the framework of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The project provides advisory services and capacity building to technical experts, advisors, academics, and decision-makers in more than twenty partner countries on all matters related to the identification, valuation, and integration of ecosystem services into different areas of planning, policy, and the implementation of concrete activities. To this end, the project develops tools and training courses, provides technical advice, and facilitates planning and decision-making processes. ValuES contributes to the development and dissemination of the results and products of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), while promoting the development and implementation of the results of regional assessments in the countries. The project also promotes knowledge exchange through the systematization and sharing of experiences, the organization of regional meetings, and the facilitation and coordination of events in global forums.
The GIZ ValuES IPBES Newsletter provides information on IPBES, such as calls for participation, events, and policy briefs. The newsletter is published at irregular intervals and is available in three languages: English, French, and Spanish.
The second phase of the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance supported the achievement of Mexico’s ambitious climate change objectives, thereby ensuring its close participation in international climate negotiation processes. It provided advice on the development and implementation of measures established in the Climate Change Law, the Climate Action Programme, and the country’s Climate Strategy. It also provided guidance on actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change, while actively involving states and the private sector in the development, implementation, and monitoring of climate activities.
Objectives Support Mexico in implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) at the national and subnational levels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change. Integrate innovative approaches and instruments for mitigation, adaptation, and strategy into Mexican climate policy.
Activities Development of a climate strategy for the agricultural and food sector. Development of the tool “Methodology for Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Measures” and its incorporation into the National Climate Change Strategy. Organization of the First National Adaptation Forum (April 2016) to identify potential areas of action to increase the country’s resilience to the effects of climate change. Advice on implementing the adaptation component of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and preparing a National Adaptation Plan (NAP). Advice to the Mexican government on the selection, design, and formulation of proposals for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs).
Support in preparing the Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a cost-effective instrument for implementing the NDCs. Analysis of existing national and state climate finance instruments to disseminate best practices among the states. Introduction and updating of a measurement, reporting, and verification system in Veracruz, the first of its kind in Mexico and mandatory for all sectors. Establishment of a climate fund in Sonora and development of a guide for building a federal climate finance architecture that is currently used in the state.
Advice on the creation of an energy agency in Mexico City based on the German experience (Berlin Energy Agency). Creation of a bilingual online blog (English / Spanish), “IKI Alliance Mexico,” to expand dialogue between project partners and interested audiences in both countries.
Initial situation
The project promotes the increased use and establishment of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures in the Mesoamerican region. The objective is to integrate the EbA approach into the social, economic, and environmental policies of the countries involved, as well as into their decision-making processes and governance structures. This will increase the capacity of different actors at the local and national levels to adapt and make population groups and ecosystems less vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Building on existing EbA initiatives and new EbA projects in the region, the project gathers and presents information on the benefits associated with EbA. For these purposes, it develops tools such as databases and monitoring and evaluation systems, including appropriate criteria and indicators. A regional EbA platform supports the dissemination and application of existing knowledge.
The AVE project is implemented in five other Central American countries, where regional experience enriches national and local work at each learning site (see map).
GUATEMALA
· IUCN works hand in hand with community organizations and Guatemala’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) to scale up learning from EbA measures throughout the Highland region.
· Work is being carried out to improve food security for Indigenous and local communities in the binational Sixaola River basin. Recently, the 5th Agrobiodiversity Fair was held with more than 100 participants, including producers, municipal authorities, Indigenous representatives, academia, government institutions, and non-governmental organizations.
The overall objective of VICLIM is to support the implementation of national climate commitments through the integration of subnational actors (states and municipalities). Its approach seeks to strengthen the capacities of those responsible for climate policy at the subnational and national levels and to establish mechanisms for vertical coordination and cooperation, thereby involving all levels of government. It also seeks to ensure that lessons learned feed back into international negotiation processes.
Currently, cities produce more than 70% of global CO2eq emissions. In Mexico, cities are estimated to have a reduction potential equivalent to almost 10% of the country’s mitigation potential for 2020 (National GHG Emissions Inventory, 2015).Initial situation
To achieve the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the temperature increase below 2°C, action by cities and subnational governments is necessary. Their role is becoming increasingly important in contributing to the implementation of national and international climate change commitments, for example in areas such as urban planning and sustainable transport.
Key actors
Commissioned by
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety within the framework of its International Climate Initiative (IKI)
Partner countries
Mexico, Costa Rica, South Africa, Indonesia and Georgia
Counterparts
Mexico: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)Costa Rica: Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE), Directorate of Climate Change (DCC)South Africa: Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA)Indonesia: Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS)Georgia: Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection (MoE)
Duration
08.2016 – 07.2020
Volume
3, 200, 000 EUR
VICLIM is financed by the International Climate Initiative (IKI, by its German acronym) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. In Mexico, the counterpart is the General Directorate for Climate Change (DGPCC) of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).
Our approach
VICLIM builds on the experience of the Vertically Integrated Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (V-NAMA), also referred to as “subnational integration” or “multilevel governance.” This means that the different levels of government—from national to local—coordinate in order to align their planning, implementation and reporting.
The project’s partner countries have the potential to vertically integrate their climate policies, either because they already have previous experience or because they have favorable governance structures.
For its activities, various formats and direct advisory support with counterparts across levels of government will be used to improve climate governance, support outreach, dialogue and exchange, and establish cooperation networks among local governments.
Initial results
VICLIM in Mexico has promoted a series of regional workshops under the leadership of SEMARNAT and together with the Mexican-German Climate Change Alliance, where nearly 200 representatives from 30 federal entities identified pathways to integrate their contributions into the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), shared experiences and generated synergies.
As a result, a toolkit was prepared integrating updated information on the NDC for the subnational level, including the current status of climate change policies and instruments at the state level. In parallel, an informational video was developed to raise awareness of the role of states and municipalities in relation to the Paris Agreement and the NDC.
At the subnational level, new guidelines for the preparation of local climate action plans are being developed together with the state of Jalisco.
Finally, by linking with different entities, the project seeks to generate instruments that reach decision-makers in relevant climate forums and negotiations.
All VICLIM products and progress are shared with the community through the website https://iki-alliance.mx/.
Solar thermal systems provide heat for industrial processes and have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the textile, food, beverage, paper, and chemical industries. The project aims to increase the use of these systems in Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, countries where the required technology is economically viable, but information gaps, lack of experience, and other barriers hinder its commercialization.
The project partners, together with local chambers and associations, follow a multiplier approach to support policymakers, project developers, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in understanding the techno-commercial potential of this technology and its subsequent adoption. The development of business and financing models through energy service companies (ESCOs) and financial institutions, as well as reference systems, will further improve the viability of the technology. Policymakers will be enabled to improve the framework for its effective adoption.
Initial situation
In order to achieve international sustainability goals, it is crucial to adapt cities to the impacts of climate change caused by extreme weather events, such as infrastructure deterioration or biodiversity loss. Due to increasing urbanization, urban populations are particularly at risk. These developments pose new challenges for urban planners and regional decision-makers because they lack the necessary data to implement local adaptation measures. Participatory data collection on local climate conditions, together with approaches based on new information and communication technologies (ICT) (e.g. CrowdMapping), could help fill this gap and therefore contribute to the planning of adaptation measures and increase the resilience of infrastructure and supply services. The project draws on ICT and web-based methods and strengthens the resilience of the city (and the surrounding region) by integrating them into urban management, particularly urban planning.
The beneficiary regions of this project encompass highly biodiverse tropical forest ecosystems. The project aims to support the transition to low-emission rural development (LED-R) by helping to align national policies and sustainable supply-chain initiatives at the jurisdictional level in Brazil (in the states of Pará, Mato Grosso, and Acre), Indonesia (Central Kalimantan and the provinces of West Papua), Peru (five states combined under the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force and the Pachitea basin), Mexico (the state of Chiapas), Colombia (municipalities in Caquetá and Guaviare), and Kenya (the Mau Forest Complex). It is implemented by the Earth Innovation Institute (EII) together with local NGOs from the Sustainable Tropics Alliance.
The project will work on broadly shared performance milestones across each territory, integrated incentive systems to help achieve these milestones, and monitoring systems to track progress, supported by a regional action plan and the administrative structures of national and subnational governments, agribusinesses, smallholder farmers, Indigenous groups, and civil society. The project’s approach will provide important co-benefits for biodiversity.
Initial situation
Companies can make a significant contribution to reversing the causes of biodiversity loss. Over the past decade, private-sector investment in biodiversity conservation has increased steadily. The objective of the project is to identify, understand, systematize, and further develop existing financing approaches (mechanisms and instruments) to promote biodiversity-friendly production and marketing. As part of the project strategy, financing models are to be developed in three participating countries.
Promising approaches, as well as existing experiences, initiatives, mechanisms, instruments, and private-sector needs in selected economic sectors (particularly agriculture, tourism, handicrafts, fisheries, and food) are identified, analyzed, and systematized. Based on an exploratory phase (up to 18 months after the start of the project), the project strategy is to be further developed in cooperation with the participating countries. In the three participating countries, promising initiatives to promote biodiversity-friendly production and marketing are selected and tested.
Initial situation
The agricultural sector is one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and climate change. It is also one of the sectors most affected by these processes. Agriculture depends heavily on biodiversity and ecosystem services; however, their value to the sector and the environmental costs associated with unsustainable agricultural practices are often overlooked in sectoral decision-making and are not adequately considered in subsidy programmes or other economic or financial instruments.
This project, jointly implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRICULTURA), the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), and the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO), on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), aims to integrate the socioeconomic, ecological, and cultural values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into the decision-making and planning instruments of key public and private actors in Mexico’s agricultural sector.
Together with public-sector actors, research centres, the private sector, FAO, and UNEP, the project implements exemplary instruments for biodiversity conservation, climate protection, and the promotion of sustainable agricultural practices, which have been integrated into selected agricultural production systems and value chains.
Lessons learned from the analysis, design, and implementation of incentives that promote sustainable land-use practices have been integrated into public policies and tested in pilot states with the aim of scaling these experiences up to the policy level.
This project promotes intersectoral dialogue and generates concrete examples for mainstreaming biodiversity into agriculture, which will contribute to the international debate.
Work with the public sector
The project provided advice to AGRICULTURA in developing the priority objective “Climate change and natural resources” (Sectoral Programme) and its cross-cutting Climate Plan (including biodiversity), as well as contributions to the new intersectoral Special Climate Change Programme (coordinated by SEMARNAT) and the national implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The project worked with the agricultural and environmental sectors of Jalisco to develop a Biodiversity Mainstreaming Strategy for the state, which will guide state-level efforts toward sustainable production.
In December 2019, the project’s progress was presented and discussed at the Madrid Climate Summit (UNFCCC COP 25). The Mexican delegation, represented by SADER, highlighted the importance of biodiversity-friendly and climate-smart agriculture for implementing the Paris Agreement.
Work with the private sector
In 2019, the Madre Tierra project began in cooperation with Danone, Altex, TechnoServe, and Nuup. The project seeks to develop regenerative agriculture with a positive impact on the strawberry value chain in Maravatío, Michoacán, with the aim of improving production, business, and sustainability conditions for 140 small-scale producers.
National Pollinator Strategy
The project supports intersectoral collaboration by actively participating in the process of developing the National Strategy for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Pollinators, including an analysis of the current status of pollinators in Mexico and the structure for the Zero Draft. The strategy is expected to be launched in 2021.
This video, produced in cooperation with Deutsche Welle, discusses the loss of vanilla pollinators in Mexico.
TEEB AgriFood Mexico
In 2019, with the participation of 20 institutions from the agricultural, environmental, and health sectors, the TEEB AgriFood study (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Agriculture and Food) was launched with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the European Union. It paves the way for making the socioeconomic, ecological, and cultural values of maize visible by comparing production in the traditional milpa system with industrial production. A study on the coffee value chain is also planned. Preliminary results on the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services in Mexico’s agricultural sector are expected by September 2021.
Due to the high relevance of TEEB AgriFood Mexico, the European Union decided to support the initiative within the private sector. This support aims to raise awareness among Mexican agri-food companies about the values of biodiversity so that they can work together to minimize their impacts and contribute to a more sustainable agricultural and food sector. For this reason, the project is collaborating with the Capitals Coalition, an initiative that works with companies and organizations and develops protocols that help businesses identify, measure, and value their impacts and dependencies on natural, social, and human capital. This seeks to make natural capital visible and quantifiable and to identify impacts and dependencies in order to value and protect biodiversity and contribute to a more sustainable agricultural sector.
Both the public-sector and private-sector TEEB initiatives focus on public policy and corporate decision-making, respectively.
National Producers Meeting
In May 2018, an exchange of experiences and knowledge took place among representatives of rural organizations and producers who already integrate the values of biodiversity and ecosystem services into their productive activities. The objective of the meeting was to identify potential areas of cooperation, exchange good practices, and systematize experiences so they could be integrated into policy decision-making processes.
Subsequently, three Regional Forums were held in Oaxaca, Mérida, and Guadalajara to identify priorities for pilot projects on mainstreaming biodiversity into agricultural production processes and value chains.
As a result of the events, a catalogue of experiences on mainstreaming biodiversity into Mexican agriculture (local experiences) was compiled, based on contributions from producers, non-governmental organizations, academics, and community representatives.
Biodiversity Mainstreaming Centre
With support from the project, biodiversity mainstreaming in the agricultural sector was institutionalized through the opening of SADER’s Biodiversity Mainstreaming Centre. The centre aims to promote intersectoral exchange for the sustainable development of the agricultural sector. Among other contributions, the centre will support implementation of the agreement between the agricultural and environmental sectors, under which agricultural subsidy programmes will not promote the expansion of agricultural land into protected natural areas or areas with natural vegetation. The SAGARPA subsidy programme for small and medium-sized producers for 2018 explicitly promotes sustainable production techniques that integrate the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Value chains
The Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Mexican Agriculture project (IKI-IBA) promotes the vanilla value chain in the Huasteca region of Hidalgo and the prickly pear value chain in the State of Mexico using the ValueLinks methodology. This promotes sustainable production with an emphasis on valuing ecosystem services, enabling value-chain actors to reach agreements that encourage sustainable production practices, add value to products, and thereby generate better incomes and improve product quality throughout the chain.
Three pilot projects are currently being implemented to strengthen biodiversity-friendly practices in selected areas:
Municipality of Chacksinkin, Yucatán – A regional network of milperos (Maya maize farmers) is being strengthened, along with cultural aspects of traditional forest and crop management.
Municipality of Apaseo El Grande, Guanajuato – The project supports the capacity building and social organization of producers who use conservation agriculture and management practices to organically increase soil fertility.
All these pilot projects include training workshops on biodiversity monitoring and exchanges of experiences among producers.
Economics of Land Degradation Initiative
The advisory services of the GIZ Global Project “Economics of Land Degradation” (ELD), funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), provide additional knowledge on soil protection and fertility in agriculture. For this reason, in collaboration with the project, seminars and workshops on the ELD methodology for valuing land degradation have been organized in Oaxaca and Mexico City for decision-makers and resource managers.
Through this cooperation, BMZ will provide resources to complement the existing biophysical data on conditions in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca with an economic analysis of development scenarios (for example, the costs of soil degradation), in cooperation with local scientists. The aim is to use the experiences from this pilot project to adapt policies and programmes at the federal and local levels that promote the sustainable use of biodiversity.
Training-of-trainers workshop on Integrating Ecosystem Services into Development Planning in Agricultural Landscapes
The objective of the workshop is to provide the ISE Ag Methodology which makes it possible to recognize the links between ecosystem services, well-being, and economic activities—mainly agriculture—as a crucial factor in development planning. It provides tools and methods for assessing ecosystem conditions, trends, and risks, as well as for valuing priority ecosystem services. It facilitates the analysis of stakeholder groups and drivers of change and helps identify policy options that take the value of ecosystem services into account.
Financing mechanisms
Investment fund for regenerative agriculture
An investment fund for regenerative agriculture is being designed, with the objective of capitalizing a fund that will finance agricultural projects focused on regenerating ecosystem services. The aim is to begin financing with three pilot projects based on three strategic value chains for Mexico: banana, oil palm, and mezcal agave.
Validation of three business models that are bankable for private investment
Three business models—for banana, agave, and oil palm—are being designed and strengthened in order to improve their practices and financial and logistical operations so that they can integrate and implement biodiversity conservation practices and technologies into their activities and thereby obtain financing from private and public sources.
In addition, three assessments of the mango, tomato, and citrus value chains will be conducted in order to establish recommendations for improving the sustainability and innovation criteria and needs of the business models of these three producer groups in Chiapas, and to turn them into bankable businesses for Walmart and other potential buyers.
Inclusive and sustainable financial education for the State of Puebla
A financial education module is being designed for producers in Puebla. As with the other mechanisms, training and financial capacity building are planned for producers in the Tehuacán Reserve and in Zacatlán.
