Voluntary Conservation: The First Step in Climate Action

Protected Natural Areas (ANP) are a public policy instrument whose main objective is conserve the diversity of ecosystems and species present in the national territory. From the vast thickets of El Pinacate and the Great Altar Desert, to the depths of the ocean and the colossal jungles of Southern Mexico, the ANP have made it possible to safeguard the genetic diversity of species and preserve natural and representative environments of Mexico over the years. A little more than a century after their conception, a total of 186 federal Protected Natural Areas have been declared (CONANP, 2022); depending on their characteristics and the surface they occupy, these may fall under any of the following categories: Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Flora and Fauna Protection Areas, Natural Resource Protection Areas, Natural Monuments, Sanctuaries and Voluntarily Destined Conservation Areas. Today we will talk about the latter.

Local Partners for Sustainable Development

Historically, ejidos and communities in Mexico have generated a strong link between the use of their natural resources and the conservation of ecosystems; proof of this are the 389 Voluntary Conservation Areas (ADVC) that have been recognized over the years, covering an area of approximately more than half a million hectares in at least 24 states of the country (Ibid.).

Voluntarily Destined Conservation Areas have been recognized by Mexican legislation since 2002, and as their name suggests, their main characteristic is areas that have been registered by their owners or legitimate owners, completely voluntarily, for the care and protection of biodiversity, and the sustainable management and development of their resources.

In a country where just over 50% of the national territory is constituted by ejidal or communal property, the concept of Voluntary Conservation Areas takes on all the meaning and importance, since they turn out to be the owners of the land - owners of these ADVC - a key actor not only in the conservation and restoration of ecosystems, but also in the implementation of productive projects whose guiding axis is the sustainable use of resources, the socio-economic development of communities, and even the fight against climate change.

As established by the guidelines for Voluntarily Intended Areas for Conservation, their structuring and implementation model is based on the generation of an Order that reflects the biotic and abiotic characteristics of the area, as well as a description of the ecosystems present in the area, with special emphasis on registered flora and fauna species. In this regard, it is important to emphasize that the central pillar of the consolidation of ADVC is the Management Strategy, which presents the set of activities that are intended to be carried out and the actions for the protection, conservation and restoration of ecosystems that will be implemented in accordance with the guidelines for the use and exploitation of natural resources.

According to several authors (Leverington et al. , 2010), ecosystem conservation had been conceived from a perspective “up-down”, in other words, it has been promoted mainly by governmental and academic bodies (that is, with little participation of those who conserve this nature in their territories) and even though despite the fact that this has allowed the conservation of many sites in the world, the need to emphasize the inclusion and participation of those directly involved: the owners of the land, is undeniable. In the case of ADVC, those directly involved are not only responsible for managing conservation and restoration activities, but also for monitoring and exercising governance shared for sustainable development.

Scope and opportunities of ADVC

While it is true that the preservation of ecosystem services represents significant economic savings compared to their restoration, this does not always translate into direct monetary benefits for the main promoters of these actions. At some point in the history of Protected Natural Areas, ADVC were eligible to receive funding from the National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) to operate productive and conservation projects, however, given the budgetary cuts suffered by this body starting in 2021, ADVC are no longer eligible to receive this type of support.

Faced with the imminent environmental crisis and little available public budget, the owners of the land have turned their eyes to new strategies to make nature conservation compatible with the economic and social development of communities. The answer has recently fallen on the financing capacity of the private sector. It is very common that when we think about climate change and its adverse effects, we associate the private sector as the main cause of this global problem, however, even if it is true, we must not forget that looking forward, the private sector turns out to be key in capital injection processes for project financing that make it possible to address existing environmental, climate and even social problems.

Within the framework of these projects, the implementation of community monitoring to identify the state of natural populations in ecosystems, the compilation of a forest inventory that allows us to know the carbon stores present in a forest, and the impact and social vulnerability studies faced by communities are activities that for the time being, in the case of many countries such as Mexico, exceed the technical and economic capacities offered by the public sector; the main reason is that the different institutions that are responsible for managing ANPs and associated programs, lack a specific budget and rely exclusively on small annual subsidies, mostly isolated, and often the allocated budget is not proportional to the areas preserved. As reported in the Federal Expenditure Budget Project (PPEF) for 2022, the budget per protected hectare was only 9.70 pesos. This creates a latent risk for the permanence of these areas and, therefore, for the conservation of ecosystems. So, How can we make the conservation and restoration of ecosystems compatible in a reality that violates the economic development capacities of the promoters of these initiatives?

Building Synergies for Climate Resilience

Within the Areas Intended Voluntarily for Conservation, there are different strategies to achieve the fulfillment of the objectives and one of these strategies is the shared management. Shared management is based on the planning of operations and their articulation with various sectors and institutions (Peña-Azcona) et al., 2022). Under this logic, if we recognize the public sector as the main companion for obtaining ADVC certification and the academic sector as the main ally in the implementation of activities related to research and scientific work - among which we highlight the implementation of environmental education workshops and community monitoring of flora and fauna - we could think that we have covered all sides for the proper operation of ADVC, however, the economic component is still relegated from the equation.

In this regard, the private sector could become the main driver of the potential of ADVC in the improvement and compliance of Sustainable Development Goals -global goals established by the United Nations to lead us to a more sustainable world and to face existing crises- because, as we mentioned before, the commitments of this sector are not only focused on climate action, but could also be aimed at the empowerment of communities and their economic development.

Among the main Sustainable Development Goals in which the private sector could play a leading role within ADVC, stand out: goal 8, promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all; goal 15, protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, carry out sustainable forest management, combat desertification, stop and reverse land degradation and stop the loss of biological diversity; goal 11, to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; and finally, goal 13, to encourage Climate action, where the private sector is able to finance much of the climate action that we urgently need today. If the right synergies are created, by 2030 we should be closer to reversing the adverse effects of global climate change.

Within the socio-environmental potential of ADVC, we can mention the implementation of carbon sequestration projects to accelerate global decarbonization; the formulation of biological corridors between ADVC and vegetation remnants that connect diverse landscapes and promote ecosystem health and resilience; the improvement of agricultural practices to increase production and make them more sustainable; and the restoration of native ecosystems to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change.

To mention one example, Toroto Currently developing carbon sequestration projects in the southeastern region of Mexico where ADVC participates, which in addition to the climatic component, they have made it possible to connect the areas surrounding the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve with the remnants of vegetation that are in the process of regeneration, thus allowing the establishment of runners for species.

All of these initiatives bring specific and direct benefits to ecosystems, such as the maintenance of biological populations, the increase in carbon stores and the preservation of endangered species; as well as the generation of co-benefits for local and global populations, including the regulation of biogeochemical cycles, improvement in air quality, safe access to food, and greater economic growth.

That said, it is clear that the relevance of ADVC goes beyond a forestry project, or the care of a social group: ADVC represent the efforts of rural men and women who, in most cases, have dedicated their lives to understanding and applying the sustainable relationships they have created with nature and that today are one of the most comprehensive responses we have to combat the social, environmental and climate crisis that threatens everything we know. However, we must not neglect the complexity of the management that revolves around it and the financial requirements necessary for its operation. Mexico has made great strides in the conservation and restoration of ecosystems, however, the path of climate action is still long and there are many challenges and opportunities to be faced. The wide variety of ecosystems can only be fully protected if there is a revaluation of the work and will of those who care for their territories and they decide to allocate them to a greater cause for a global benefit, as well as to the combined efforts of the public, private and social sectors.

About the author:

Teresita is a biologist graduated from UNAM with experience in ecosystem restoration. He wants to be an agent of change and does his best to understand the complex relationships between society and nature.

References:

• Borrini-Feyerabend G.; Nigel Dudley.; Tilmas J.; Lassen, B.; Pathak Broome, N.; Philips, A and Sandwith, T. (2014). Governance of Protected Areas: from understanding to action. IUCN. Available in: https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/pag-020-es.pdf
• Chacon, C.M. (2008). Willingness to conserve. Selected conservation experiences by civil society in Ibero-America. The Nature Conservancy.
• WITH ANP. (2022). Decreated protected natural areas. http://sig.conanp.gob.mx/website/pagsig/datos_anp.htm
• Leverington, F., Costa, K.L., Pavese, H., Lisle, A., and Hockings, M. (2010). A global analysis of protected area management effectiveness. Environmental Management, 46 (5), 685-698. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9564-5
• Morett-Sanchez, J. Carlos, and Cosío-Ruiz, Celsa. (2017). Overview of ejidos and agrarian communities in Mexico. Agriculture, Society and Development, 14 (1), 125-152. Retrieved on January 03, 2023, from http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1870-54722017000100125&lng=es&tlng=es
• Peña-Azcona, Ivett, Ortega-Argueta, Alejandro, García-Barrios, Raúl, and Elizondo, Cecilia. (2022). Voluntary Conservation Areas in Mexico: Scope and Challenges. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 56 (2), 120-145. https://dx.doi.org/10.15359/rca.56/2.7
• Peña-Azcona, I. (2015). Socio-environmental perception of areas voluntarily designated for conservation in the Oaxacan Isthmus (Master's Thesis). The College of the Southern Border, Mexico.