Mangrove Conservation and Restoration in Mexico

Updates from the Global Mangrove Alliance-Mexico National Chapter

The GMA’s Mexico Chapter had a very active and successful participation during the VI Mexican Congress of Mangrove Ecosystems held from March 29 to 31, 2023. During three days with researchers, students, government and civil society from 7 countries and 42 organizations presented, and discussed papers and initiatives, using new information technologies, on the state of mangrove ecosystem research, education and management in the face of global change.

In addition to being one of the sponsors of the congress, the Mexico Chapter gave a training course, led an open dialogue table with community representatives, a blue carbon symposium, and more. Some of the highlights of these activities are mentioned below:

The WWF Mexico team led the Global Mangrove Watch Training Course to 34 people from different sectors. The course began with a brief introduction to the GMA and the state of the mangroves in Mexico and the world. The functionalities of the GMW platform were presented as a fundamental tool to provide solid, reliable, free access and almost real-time updated data and information to advance in the conservation, restoration and sustainable development of these ecosystems.

In the Magisterial conference entitled “The state of the world’s mangroves – Strategic alliances for the mangroves of Mexico” Pilar Jacobo explained the trajectory and joint work of the Mexican Alliance for the Ecosystems Restoration (AMERE by its acronym in Spanish) and the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA). These alliances seek to create a space for the integration of different actors, and support the dissemination of information, the linking of actors and the exchange of experiences, related to ecological and productive coastal-marine restoration in Mexico. The importance of collaboration between NGOs, governments, industry, local communities and funders around a common goal was highlighted.

In the Mangrove Restoration Communities Open Dialogue Table, the World Resource Institute facilitated a discussion session among communities engaged in mangrove restoration. Community representatives from various states gathered to exchange their experiences and needs. The conversation was approached from a gender perspective, exploring topics such as the double workload and the challenges that women face in traditionally male-dominated environments. This marked the second congress to provide space for community-led dialogue and communication.

The hybrid Symposium “Blue Carbon Bonds: Voluntary Market” began with a presentation by Tannia Frausto from WildCoast introducing the Voluntary Carbon Market and the process for certification by Abbey Garcia from Climate Action Reserve (virtual). Afterwards, Norma Arce from Conservation International gave a presentation on Good Practices for blue carbon projects, emphasizing what a high-quality project means and the importance of safeguarding local communities, the integrity of ecosystems and biodiversity. Then Claudia Díazgranados from Blue Carbon presented virtually  the journey and achievements of the “Vida Manglar” Project in Colombia. Finally, the symposium closed with an intervention from the private sector by Nikola Bricic from Vida Carbon.