Download Submission by Mexico on paras 125-133 Dec 1-21

Mexico
SUBMISSION BY MEXICO ON PARAGRAPHS 125 TO 133 OF DECISION 1/CP.21,
REGARDING THE LAUNCHING OF A TECHNICAL EXAMINATION PROCESS ON
ADAPTATION FOR 2016-2020.
Mexico is pleased to submit its views on concrete opportunities for strengthening
resilience, reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the understanding and implementation
of adaptation actions, for the technical examination process (TEP) on adaptation for the
period 2016-2020, in particular regarding paragraph 128 a) and b) of Decision 1/CP.21.
Mexico considers it is vital to strengthen methods and tools in order to determine current
and future territorial vulnerabilities, both spatial and temporal, under an approach that
takes into account social, institutional, ecosystem, gender, infrastructure and productive
systems elements.
This is consistent with Mexico’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) and
Special Program on Climate Change 2014-2018 (PECC), which include the following
actions that Mexico would be happy to share under the TEP:
1. Development of a National Atlas of Vulnerability to Climate Change;
2. Conservation of coastal watersheds in the context of climate change.
In addition, based on its experience, Mexico believes it beneficial to parties for the TEP to
address the following adaptation aspects:
1. Initiate a process of monitoring and evaluation of measures to adapt to climate
change.
2. Identify impacts of climate change in social sectors, as well as in ecosystems and
their environmental services.
3. Construction of a common vision among environmental institutions at the national
level, by integrating the competencies and capacities of the entities responsible for
forest management, national protected areas and scientific and technical institutes
on climate change and ecology.
In line with such proposals, Mexico would be happy to present in the TEP on adaptation
any or all of the following six initiatives:
Initiative 1: Climate Change Strategy for Protected Areas 2015-2020: A call for the
Resilience of Mexico
The General Law on Climate Change of Mexico recognizes the importance of conserving
ecosystems, as well as of creating and managing Protected Areas (PA), both of them as
strategies to adapt to climate change. The National Commission for Protected Areas of
1
Mexico
Mexico (CONANP) has launched its Climate Change Strategy for Protected Areas 20152020: “A call for the resilience of Mexico”. The Strategy relies on the premise of
collaborative work across all sectors involved in development and environment, with a
medium and a long-term vision.
The main objectives of the Strategy are:
1) To increase the adaptability of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and people who
inhabit in and depend on them;
2) To contribute to mitigate climate change through the capture and storage of carbon
dioxide (CO2) in natural ecosystems;
3) To work in coordination with all sectors of society and levels of government,
towards adaptation and mitigation of climate change in terrestrial and marine
ecosystems.
The Strategy contains four major components:
1. Institutional Coordination;
2. Landscape management in a climate change context;
3. Knowledge for decision-making;
4. Social participation and communication.
Each component has specific themes and courses of action with specific objectives, which
aim to increase institutional, social and ecological resilience at different levels.
Initiative 2: Strengthening Management Effectiveness and Resilience of Protected
Areas to Safeguard Biodiversity Threatened by Climate Change
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and institutional
partners such as the National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity
(CONABIO), as well as the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), conceptualized
this innovative GEF-funded project.
This initiative, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, will
mainstream climate change into the national Protected Areas (PA) system to preserve
biodiversity effectively. The project will strength institutional, socioeconomic and
ecosystem resilience through a multi-level strategy composed of three related
components:
1. The readiness of the PA system: implies the integration of climate change and
resilience-based actions in the institutional programs and processes. In addition, it
considers the development of management systems (monitoring and early warning
systems, management decision-making tools and sustainable financing).
2
Mexico
2. The expansion of the PA system in landscapes that are particularly sensitive to
climate change, in order to protect refugees and corridors to increase connectivity
and ecosystem resiliency.
3. Climate change component as part of effective management in order to respond to
threats related to biodiversity.
The project has a landscape/seascape approach, considering that biodiversity
conservation is possible only when policies and coherent action implementation work
together. In addition, connectivity, Ecosystem-based Adaptation and governance are
essential concepts for the project. Starting in 2014, the project has a duration of 5 years,
and it will operate in clusters (landscapes) that comprise 17 PA in the country.
Initiative 3: Adaptation in the Region of the Sierra Madre Oriental
In the Region of the Sierra Madre Oriental climate change is likely to affect biodiversityrich ecosystems and local communities, increasing their vulnerability because their
livelihoods depend primarily on the area’s natural resources.
The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), in cooperation with
different agencies such as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
(GIZ), Parks Canada and the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN),
designed a set of Climate Change Adaptation Programs (PACC) for the Central, Northeast
and Eastern Region of the Sierra Madre Oriental.
The PACCs constitute a basic decision-making tool for the implementation of adaptation,
mitigation and monitoring strategies in the region. The program includes an investment
portfolio and runtimes for priority activities. The PACCs incorporate the concept of
Ecosystem-based Adaptation, which involves improving the adaptive capacity of
communities and ecosystems through the sustainable use of available environmental
resources.
The strategies developed by the PACCs include sustainable natural resource
management, ecosystem conservation and restoration, diversification of economic
activities, promotion of social organization and cohesion, and capacity building for pest
prevention and control. These activities are part of a general approach to adapt to climate
change, focusing on the multiple social, economic and cultural benefits for local
communities.
Initiative 4: Exotic and invasive species control in the Mexican Caribbean and Gulf
of Mexico
Climate change impacts are transforming ecosystems’ structure and functions.
Temperature increase has modified system dynamics, favoring the emergence of invasive
3
Mexico
species, such as the lionfish, an invasive and exotic species, registered in 2009 in the
Atlantic and Caribbean Mexican coastlines. The increase in sea temperature can favor
invasive species if they are able to cope to these new conditions, having a considerable
advantage over native species.
There are Ecosystem-based Adaptation efforts in Protected Areas to control lionfish
population:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decrease of lionfish population in commercial fishing sites;
Promotion and creation of a national lionfish market for human consumption;
Cooperation between private and public sector at different scales;
International cooperation to design control strategies.
Initiative 5: Protected Areas are “beacons of hope”
In Mexico, Protected Areas are beacons of hope because they have important roles to
play in helping ecosystems, species and human communities to mitigate and adapt to
climate change. Mexico recognizes that healthy, well-managed Protected Areas are costeffective natural solutions to help address the climate change crisis.
Through different international cooperation projects, the National Commission of Natural
Protected Areas (CONANP), in cooperation with different agencies such as the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Parks Canada and the Mexican
Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN), has created the series of videos called
“beacons of hope”, in order to communicate the value of Protected Areas for climate
change mitigation and adaptation.
Initiative 6: Alliance “México Resiliente”
The Alliance “México Resiliente” was created in 2012 by the National Commission of
Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) in order to strengthen cooperation and coordination
between CONANP and its partners, who actively participate in PA and ecosystems
conservation. The objective is to reinforce cooperation, lessons learnt and knowledge
exchange in climate change and biodiversity conservation issues.
Twenty four active members - involving Academia, public sector and NGO’s - represent
the Alliance, which constitutes a space for public policy reflection and feedback, and for
proposing lines of action to face climate change in the country. The inclusive and
participatory approach of this initiative has created interest in replicating the model in other
Parks Agencies such as Parques Colombia.
4