Comsostbiod Presen

Sustainable Communities to preserve biological diversity

Concept Document Prepared by Francisco Chapela/Estudios Rurales y Asesoría Campesina February, 2009

Background / Mexico biological diversity

Mexico is considered a megadiverse country 10% of world species are in Mexico: 1rst place on reptiles diversity 2nd in mammals diversity 4rth in amphibian diversity 4rth in vascular plants diversity 10th in birds diversity.

a long record of human influence on landscape 68 recognized linguistic groupings a population density 70% higher than U.S. more than twice Brazil population density 17 times higher than Canada Much less functional protected areas than Brazil or Costa Rica

Mexico biological diversity (cont...)

Mexico biological diversity (contnd...)

Priority points

NPAs are not enough

The need for a Mexican policy

Mexico needs to define a biological diversity policy suitable for its own cultural, social, economical and natural reality.

Steps towards a "conservation Mexican model"

1980s: exploratory projects, with support from foundations (Ford, Mc. Arthur) and later from bilateral organizations (IAF, USAID, GTZ, DfID). 1990s: "Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs)" in coordination with federal gobierno and GEF, PNUD and The World Bank. 2000s: ICDPs Institutionalization

Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) CONAFOR Forest Conservation and Management Project CONAFOR Communities and Indigenous Biodiversity Conservation project for Guerrero, Michoacán and Oaxaca CONABIO Mesoamerican Biological Corridor-Mexico CONANP Three Regions Integrated Ecosystems Management project

25 years after: Lessons learned It is possible to set-up an effective conservation scheme in most of priority areas within the country, IF: local communities are allowed to capture the most part of benefits derived from biological diversity conservation and sustainable use; the model for protected areas (IUCN categories I to V) is based on local governance forms, and sustainable production forms are promoted within communal territories (IUCN category VI ).

limitations to overcome lack of regional projects with capacity to include ina profitable way production chains and to have market penetration; lack of business models, based both on biological resources and communities cultural substrate; poor development of communities cooperation networks; need of business plans, to attract capitals and production investment to local communities and organizations.

A two-tiers strategy regional natural resources management systems and a communal protected areas subsytem, linked to the National Protected Areas System.

Goal A: regional management systems

promote wild communal protected areas (ACPs) economic sustainability in South Mexico, through developing business models based on extractive and non-extractive uses of biological resorces, to produce biological diversity incentives to communities, organizations and local institutions.

Goal B: a wild communal protected areas subsystem foster a techincal leadership for natural resources management whithin local communities, organizations and institutions in South Mexico, promoting biological diversity conservation within agriculture and forestry landscapes, developing business chains to generate incentives for bilogical diversity conservation.

Components: ACPs Incubation of regional leaders and projects. setting-up/operation of nodes into socio-environmental high priority areas in South Mexico Monitoring and evaluation

Components: Regional management Systems a self-regulation network a communal environmental services network a communal eco- businesses network Monitoring and evaluation

Intervention Mechanism incubation of regional leaders and projects, through setting-up and operating regional nodes into socio-environmental high priority areas in South Mexico development of a communal cooperation network to improve regional governance and to mainstream biological diversity conservation within landscapes.

Initial phase: 8 Nodes

Presupuesto estimado 3 años

Sustainable Communities to preserve biological diversity

Concept Document Prepared by Francisco Chapela/Estudios Rurales y Asesoría Campesina February, 2009 [email protected]