Alliance Promotes Conservation Enterprise to Restore Key Mexican River

The restoration of the Papagayo River and its watershed in the Sierra de Guerrero has been a strategic goal for EcoLogic and the Regional Council of Guerrero since our partnership formed in late 2005. This river provides 98% of the water used by the city of Acapulco and 15% of that used by Mexico City. We have recently formed an alliance that enhances our efforts toward meeting this goal: in December of 2007, EcoLogic and Reforestamos Mexico ("Reforesting Mexico") finalized an agreement to work together in areas where our complementary strengths will advance sustainable management of forest and water resources in Mexico.

Started in response to the massive destruction of Mexican forests caused by the fires of May 1998, Reforestamos focuses on conservation, reforestation, and environmental education. It is one of the philanthropic branches of the Bimbo Group, the largest baked-goods producer in Latin America. The mission and goals of EcoLogic and Reforestamos have much in common: Reforestamos conserves forested areas of Mexico by promoting forestry-related activities and participation from all sectors of society. It also works to strengthen rural and ethnic communities' participation in the design and management of its projects.

Our alliance will provide the technical resources to upstream communities in the Guerrero Mountain range as they undertake the reforestation and micro-watershed management activities necessary to restore the deteriorated Papagayo River. In so doing, we will be strengthening local capacity to carry out Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) in the region, through which downstream water consumers will compensate upstream communities for the watershed management services they are providing. Areas of future collaboration include similar work in the degraded Papaloapan River that empties into the Alvarado Wetlands of Veracruz, and the production of forestry-based credits for the voluntary carbon offset market. Reforestamos' strengths in reforestation operations and community education are well complemented by EcoLogic's own in the design and implementation of community-led resource management.

This alliance is also part of a social entrepreneurship approach that brings together the private, public, and nonprofit sectors to tackle the challenge of dwindling forests and water resources in the poorest regions of Mexico. Other participants include Walmart Mexico, Ashoka, and Amanco, as well as local, regional, and national government agencies. This consortium recognizes and supports the fundamental role that local communities play in the stewardship of critical resources. Strengthening the economic link between conservation-led entrepreneurship in rural communities and the regional and global markets that benefit from the environmental services these communities provide is an effective way to ensure the long-term sustainability of critical natural resources for all.