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SUSTAINABLE
PRODUCTIVE 
PROJECTS
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CAUSE.

In the ejidos and communities adjacent to NPAs, the extensive agricultural practices applied by their inhabitants have eliminated a large part of the natural ecosystems. These practices quickly degrade the soil and, to compensate for the low productivity, agrochemicals are abused, contaminating water and soil. These production systems not only have a high impact on nature, but also keep human populations immersed in a vicious circle of poverty and loss of natural resources, which puts biodiversity and environmental services at risk, and exposes the local population to a situation of marginalization and vulnerability further aggravated by climate change. Therefore, it is necessary to develop sustainable productive activities that involve the owners of the land and that generate benefits for them, thus making the conservation of the forest compatible with the well-being of the population.

OBJECTIVE AND ACTION .

This project aims to conserve the remaining natural ecosystems of the Marqués de Comillas municipality, an area of influence of the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve, through instruments that generate benefits for the local population.

 

Natura y Ecosistemas Mexicanos has implemented a strategy to reverse the trends of environmental deterioration in the municipality, through actions focused on the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

 

Since 2009, communities have been working to establish local, community-owned ecotourism enterprises whose statutes reflect a commitment to the conservation of their ecosystems and to the economic and social development of their communities.

 

Five social enterprises operate locally with a complementary offer of ecotourism services:

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Casa del Morpho

Wildlife Conservation Management Unit La Casa del Morpho in Playón de la Gloria community, specializing in the production of artwork using sustainably-sourced butterfly wings.

ACHIEVEMENTS .

  • The application of innovations in the National Program for Payment for Environmental Services, to make it more efficient, effective and transparent.

  • The creation of five social enterprises for high-quality ecotourism activities that respect nature. Through these enterprises, the conservation of 4,898 hectares of forest adjacent to the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve has been guaranteed. The conservation of these fragments is crucial to maintaining the biological connectivity between the Reserve and the forests of Petén in Guatemala.

  • The development of food production units in family greenhouses with organic products, aquaponic modules linked to aquaculture ponds with native fish and wildlife farms with market demand, which contribute to the family economy and food self-sufficiency.

  • The collective development of territorial planning instruments such as community land use planning, the Municipal Development Plan 2018-2021 and the Ecotourism Promotion Program of the Marqués de Comillas municipality.

These activities have benefited 650 families by creating jobs, including for young people and women, as well as new family income. In addition, they have contributed to the stabilization of more than 12 thousand hectares of forest threatened by pressure from land use change.

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