Seeing the Forest for the Trees

“The protocol this project applies is easily replicated while maintaining the credibility of the project’s baseline and additionality. The emission reduction from improved forest management projects using the CAR Mexico protocol usually results in projects issuing less than 10,000 tonnes a year, but these are high quality and deliver real benefits to the community. More than 90% of the revenues from sale of carbon flow back directly to the community. We are impressed with the communities’ involvement in the protection and management of the forest.”

– Sid Yadav, Director of Project Research

Project Type: Forestry: Nature-Based Removal

Carbon Standard: CAR

Vintage: 2021

Additionality: Without the incentive of the sale of carbon, the forest would be used for income-generating activities, and the project demonstrates Greenhouse Gas reductions above compliance laws.

Permanence: Credits are issued based on the proportion of carbon that is maintained over a 100-year period.

Site Visit: March 2022

Global Forest Watch reports that from 200 to 2021, Mexico lost 4.48 million hectares of tree cover, an 8.4% decrease resulting in 1.78 Gt of CO2e emissions. Indigenous communities own most of the land, highlighting the opportunity to incorporate carbon offset projects and community-based Improved Forest Management (IFM) activities that provide ecosystem services, receive community support, and are sustainable for the planet. The sale of carbon offsets provides additional funds to further these communal activities.

This project mitigates forest exploitation by restoring areas impacted by severe erosion or those affected by disease, fire, and pests; and protects and prevents damage by fires, grazing, and illegal use of forest resources. By implementing Improved Forest Management (IFM) practices, the forest growth rate exceeds both the baseline and natural growth model. These techniques focus on surveillance tours to detect pests and diseases, destroy trees as needed, weed/invasive plant control, and pruning and thinning techniques to guarantee the natural regeneration of healthy and native species.

This community-based initiative will allow the community to diversify its income and contribute to reduced carbon emissions. All members of the community within the activity area are involved in a joint effort to sustainably manage and increase the carbon stocks in the forests.

• Protects several species of birds, orchids and other rare flowers, wild boars, white-tailed deer, and the puma—all threatened by deforestation.
• Contributes to a model for urgently needed forest conservation throughout Mexico and South America.
• Sustainably manages the forest with a minimal impact on the ecosystem but an extensive contribution to social and economic development.
• Creates jobs for local residents. Without the project, the main revenue source is agriculture with some cattle grazing.
• Provides education on forest management, monitoring and carbon revenue.
• Protects land ownership and revenue ownership rights of the communities and enables people keeps people in rural communities.
• Brings in additional resources to reinvest in the forest.

• Under financial pressure, the forests are likely to be logged to the maximum possible extent
• Obtaining agreement and a majority through a variety of community members can be difficult.
• The forest is at risk of fires or pests.
• Forest conservation is a low priority and not well understood in Mexico.
• The government is not very proactive with forest conservation.
• Providing long-term and sustainable income streams to forest dwellers and their families is challenging.

• This community forest is very different from that in other communities; the forest is far healthier; this community has plenty of water and in other communities, they are experiencing water scarcity. – Ana Laura, Family of 3
• I love the trees for the fact that they absorb the contamination created by humans. And, “One tree gives us shade, water, life, and oxygen. – Xochitl, Family of 6
• I’ve helped grow seedlings because the forest helps us fight climate change. I notice that some fruit trees blossom that never blossomed before and some still blossom but no longer give fruit. -Maria Salinas, Family of 4