Sierra de Guerrero, Mexico

 Background

The Sierra de Guerrero mountain range in southwestern Mexico has over 2.2 million acres of forest and is home to some 100,000 residents. Nine major rivers, including the Papagayo River, originate within this mountain range. These rivers supply water directly to dozens of coastal cities in the State of Guerrero. The Papagayo River alone supplies 98% of Acapulco's water while a neighboring river provides 25% of the water for Mexico City. Water quality and quantity have deteriorated from unsustainable land use upstream, including livestock grazing, poor sanitation, and deforestation resulting from the extraction of forestry products and the expansion of agriculture.

EcoLogic began working with the Regional Council of the Sierra de Guerrero (Regional Council) in 2004 to promote sustainable development and watershed management in Guerrero, one of the poorest states in Mexico. Efforts have been mostly focused on Filo Mayor, in the Papagayo River watershed. In December of 2007, EcoLogic and Reforestamos México finalized an agreement to work together to promote sustainable management of forest and water resources in Mexico.

Project Description

EcoLogic and the Regional Council worked together to provide alternative sustainable livelihoods for the poor and structure an arrangement where downstream entities in Acapulco provide payments to the upstream rural communities for safeguarding the Papagayo River watershed. EcoLogic continues to facilitate conversation between stakeholders to establish payment for water services in this region.

Progress

  • Worked with communities who depend on forestry for their livelihoods to organize and support fire prevention groups
  • Began work in conjunction with Reforestamos México to reforest the Papagayo River watershed
  • Inspired creation of network of locally-declared protected areas, managed by the Sierra de Guerrero communities, which cover 617,500 acres
  • With local forestry experts, demarcated boundaries and conducted species surveys in upland protected zones
  • Began design for a technical management plan for the network of the protected areas
  • Conducted water analysis studies in Papagayo River tributaries
  • Began negotiations with public and private sector groups for political support and funding of payment for hydrological services for the communities of Filo Mayor
  • Promoted organic flower and vegetable production that emphasizes good soil and erosion control

Partners and Funders

The Regional Council for the Sierra de Guerrero (Consejo Regional de la Sierra de Guerrero, or CRESIG) is a regional organization founded by 12 organizations in 1996, a union of ejidos, peoples and communities representing 14 counties of the Southern Madre Sierre.

Reforestamos México was started in response to the massive destruction of Mexican forests caused by the fires of May 1998. Reforestamos México is dedicated to conserving and restoring trees and forest ecosystems in Mexico through the promotion of sustainable forest management, environmental education and the participation of all sectors of society in the benefits of people and their surroundings. It is one of the philanthropic branches of the Bimbo Group, the largest baked-goods producer in Latin America.

 

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