The voices of change: testimonies from the Centauro del Norte ejido about its first carbon project

Sitting in a plastic chair in what appears to be a commonly used patio that shows the passing of the years, and under a sheet roof that rustles with the wind that shakes the jungle, Don Gelasio Maldonado, who is part of the Centauro del Norte Supervisory Council, comments: 'for several years we have been working to continue conserving our jungle, we have always and will continue to fight for that'. Northern Centaur, like many other ejidos in southeastern Mexico, is a population with a certain degree of precariousness and marginalization, however, they have the enormous benefit of having a jungle that covers more than 9 thousand hectares.

'We decided to join this project, among other things, because we care about continuing to take care of our lands. Imagine, who is going to pay you to conserve your jungle? 'Faced with the climate, social and environmental urgency that we are experiencing, the question that Aglayd Melendres, Secretary of the Ejidal Commissioner's Office, is becoming more relevant day by day. Today we can say that this idea is no longer as unthinkable as the tone of his voice detracts it; today, and especially for Toroto, giving a fair and profitable economic benefit to the owners of the Earth by conserving the remnants of vegetation that we still have left, is something like an obligation to continue inhabiting this planet.

Some years ago, with the above idea in mind, we decided to develop a forest carbon sequestration and nature conservation project with the Centauro del Norte ejido. We made this decision together, among other factors, because we share something enormous: a will to preserve what really matters.

'All the colleagues are excited, Because with the benefit [the payment for the sale of the carbon credits that your ejido generates] it's going to change both its economy and its future. It's a growth and a change that hasn't been experienced since I arrived here. Just think 100 years from now how much this will change: we are going to reforest our jungle and we are going to invest in important things that improve the life of the community. The truth is, at first I was stopped at 100 years old, but I ended up thinking about my children and then about their children and I realized that it was the best decision I could make. 'Aglayd, as well as the rest of the Northern Centaur ejidatarios, not only accepted the project, but they trusted it enough to sign a 100-year commitment. Just a few weeks ago, the fruits of that assembly were reaped, since the first carbon credits had already been sold.

'For us - and personally - we feel very happy. It has been worth the wait, being in the process and the work done. Now that we have favorable news, we are already very motivated. We're going to have an income for our families; for everyone. A part of the income will be for living, for my daughters to study; the other part will be to maintain the areas that we have to be caring for and protecting,” says Jesús Morales Vidal, Municipal Agent, with smiles, “I know that from now on we will have a livelihood for our families; we no longer have to think about dismantling to plant a mile, Now We Just Have to Protect Our Jungle. That's a really good change. It's like having our future more secure.”

Encouraging ways of life based on the conservation and regeneration of natural resources has always been a mission in our work; today, these testimonies confirm that feeling of hope for the future.

One thing that became very clear to us after these dialogues, is that reinvestment in climate action is a scheme that actually allows the continuity of a project over time. Beyond just having the economic resources to make this happen, hearing in their own voice from the people who own the land that this is also an objective for them, gives us the security in tomorrow that we all need.

'The benefit will be for the family, to do things right and to move forward, taking routes, to make gaps, to continue with the reforestation work, to continue taking care of our jungle' says Don Abraham, President of the Ejidal Commissariat.

'Everyone will invest their money in what they consider most important, there is a lot of need in this community. I would like to improve my house, use the resource for my son and my wife's studies. And as a community, we have to reinvest in this project: at Centauro del Norte we have environmentalist and pro-conservation thoughts, the idea will always be to work and invest part of our money to continue conserving our jungle,” says Gelasio.

'With the benefit, we want to continue investing in environmental programs, but I also want to give my children a future: these are the things that matter most here, the jungle and the generations to come', adds Aglayd.

Don Abraham continues, 'I always tell my colleagues “we have to get into [this type of project]”, because beyond the good things it brings us as a community, The reality is that if we don't take care of our jungle, everything goes down, no one else will take care of it. From the beginning we were happy, and looking forward to achieving the objectives, but now it is more than achieved. What we have left is to keep giving to him every day, fighting for the benefit of our community. '

Without further comment because his words have said everything, Don Abraham closes this talk with a reflection that we consider essential: those who take care of natural resources are often those who coexist with them; those who live on them for remuneration; whose worldview and identity revolves around them.

From his chair under the same sheet roof that has not stopped creaking, between the unpainted blue of the walls and columns that surround him, he ends up telling us 'what is really important here is that our jungle is well; So We're All Good'. And with that, Don Abraham gets up and leaves with a smile.

Acknowledgements

To Abraham García, Aglayd Melendres, Gelasio Maldonado and Jesús Morales for telling us about their experience; to Elva María, Project Development Coordinator in Toroto, for facilitating this beautiful dialogue.

About the author

Sandra is Executive Editor in Toronto. She studied biology, is passionate about the different forms of life that exist on the planet and is fully committed to protecting and conserving them.