Context

The mountain cloud forest of Veracruz, Mexico, is an ecosystem of great value due to its biodiversity and hydrological function. In recent years, it has progressively deteriorated as a result of human activities and the expansion of urban areas, leading to significant biodiversity loss. For this reason, this IKI Small Grants project aims to identify sites with reforestation potential in order to connect forest fragments, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Reforestation will also be accompanied by an awareness campaign on the importance of cloud forests for biodiversity conservation, as well as a standardized system for monitoring the reforestation process.

Objective

Establish agreements with private landowners to collect seeds for seedlings and reforest a total of ten hectares of land. Identify sites with reforestation potential to connect forest fragments, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Areas of work and impact

This IKI Small Grants project focuses on biodiversity conservation and aims to restore ten hectares of mountain cloud forest through the use of threatened native tree species that are also useful to local communities. Most remaining forest areas are privately owned, but they can serve as seed sources for native tree species in the target region. Therefore, the project seeks to establish agreements with private landowners to collect native tree seeds for reforestation.