“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” Albert Einstein.
By Ivan Zuñiga, Beatriz Zavariz and Paulina Deschamps from the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Silviculture (CCMSS).
Since 2007, the international community has discussed how REDD+ should be tailored to the particularities of each country with the development of REDD+ strategies. For example, while some countries have focused their REDD+ strategies on making changes to their legislation or reinforcing forest monitoring, Mexico has decided that its strategy is to implement a regional forest governance model to achieve the alignment of public policies and multi-agency coordination to promote Sustainable Rural Development (see page 20 in our study).
Eight years since REDD+ was formalized, very little is known about how these strategies have been put in practice. In this blog post, we present a study that compiles some preliminary findings of the implementation of REDD + in Mexico. We want to share them widely to help countries succeed in implementing their models and to help feed the international discussion on REDD+.
The study
The Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Silviculture (CCMSS) independently analyzed the first REDD+ experiences in Mexico through a review of the Special Programs in REDD+ Early Action Areas (PEATREDD+), which are implemented by the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) in three regions in Mexico. The PEATREDD + are just one of many efforts carried out by Mexico to prepare for REDD+.
The results were published in the study “Review of REDD+ implementation in Mexico. Analysis of Special Programs in REDD+ Early Action Areas“. Now, to the findings:
First finding: Mexico has designed a strategic governance model to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation
The PEATREDD+ model seeks to achieve the convergence of different institutions involved in the rural sector, and thus aims at achieving integral land management with a sustainable rural development approach.
In Mexico as in other countries seeking to provide incentives to curb deforestation and forest degradation while improving the livelihoods of people who live and depend on forest resources, REDD+ can maximize its potential by incorporating resources from other sectors in its operating model. REDD + strategies should arrange resources in the forestry, agriculture, and social development sectors and reduce the negative impacts of mining and other extractive industries to boost results at the landscape level. By following this approach it will be possible to achieve convergence between the environmental and development agendas.
Second finding: Mexico has not implemented its model for REDD+
The interviews conducted by the CCMSS showed that there are several barriers that have prevented the implementation of the PEATREDD+ model. For example, there is still wide misinformation at the local level on the goals of PEATREDD+ and how they should be implemented. In addition, government institutions retain their sectoral visions and there are few incentives for interagency coordination.
Anne Larson and Ashwin Ravikumar from the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) recognize these findings with the preliminary results of their research on multilevel governance policies on land use change and climate. Like the CCMSS, Larson and Ravikumar, conclude in a blog post (Spanish) for CIFOR that coordination among sectors is a major challenge: offices of environmental and traditional sectors such as agriculture and mining usually work for contradictory purposes.
Third finding: there are success stories on how REDD+ can be implemented
Not all findings reflect REDD+ failures in Mexico. For example, in the state of Quintana Roo, the evidence shows that there is strong interest among government agencies to carry out the special program in its region based on local needs.
Some multi-agency coordination efforts based on political will were found in Quintana Roo. The actors in that state have discussed ways to strategically target government resources and have involved ejidos (communal land areas) in the creation of productive projects. Similarly, actors in Quintana Roo operate in a trustful environment where synergies have been achieved.
Proposals to generate successful strategies that conserve forest ecosystems and improve the quality of life of people living in REDD+ regions
CCMSS concluded that to make Mexico’s REDD+ model work it is necessary to strengthen its implementation through improvements in its investment targeting, the effective coordination among institutions, the empowerment of local communities, and by increasing the support to innovative production schemes in coordination with other actors such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food. The research also highlights 21 specific proposals on how this can be achieved. Some related to the operation model are:
- Communication of the REDD+ model to all actors working in its implementation to ensure broad understanding.
- Capacity building for all actors to help them meet their new functions.
- Breaking with institutional inertia that impedes REDD+ functionality.
- Creation of incentives for interagency coordination.
- Strengthening of the role that state governments play for the harmonization of public policies that affect their regions.
- Strengthening the role that local communities play to identify and develop intervention strategies that really address local needs and specificities.
Despite seeming intuitive, the CCMSS stresses the importance of communication, capacity building and promotion of coordination between government agencies in order to change the way the forest sector is developed and to converge environmental and development agendas. It is necessary to prioritize these needs in Mexico and other countries.
In summary, the success of REDD+ is not limited to the design of innovative programs. Mexico’s and other countries’ experiences indicate the importance of political will to promote interagency coordination that leads to comprehensive intervention strategies in mosaics with different historical, social, environmental and economic values.
The study CCMSS is available in English and Spanish.
About the Authors:
Paulina Deschamps works at the Public Policy Advocacy Program in CCMSS since 2012. Her current research is related to the analysis and evaluation of subsidies and policies affecting forest regions. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy from the University of Oxford and a degree in History from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Beatriz Zavariz has been part of the Public Policy Advocacy Program in CCMSS since 2014. She was a consultant for the World Bank, CIAT and CATIE to create their profiles on Climate-Smart agriculture in Latin America. She holds a Master in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and is a biologist from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara.
Iván Zúñiga is the Public Policy Advocacy Program coordinator in CCMSS. Iván Zúñiga specializes in environmental policy and management and has been with CCMSS since 2008. He has worked with Mexican NGOs for 20 years in the field of biodiversity conservation, forest management and social development. During these years, he has published several research papers on public policy, the environment, community forest management, economics, globalization and international cooperation.
About the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Silviculture
The Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Silviculture / Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible, A.C. (CCMSS) is a non-profit civil society organization comprised of individuals and organizations that work jointly in order to improve the living conditions and capacity for participation among rural communities located in Mexico’s forested regions. The CCMSS works to achieve these objectives by carrying out effective advocacy through the design and implementation of equitable public policy; the strengthening and promotion of locally and regionally managed initiatives that increase the sustainability and resilience of rural areas; and the strengthening of local institutions and governance.
