Publication

Analysis of Opportunities to Include the Concept of Blue Carbon in Mexican Public Policy

From the Standpoint of International Commitments, the National Legal Framework and Financial Mechanisms [English Summary - Document available in Spanish only]

Description

This analysis was prepared to improve understanding of opportunities for including the concept of blue carbon in Mexican public policy. This work forms part of the trinational project (Canada, United States and Mexico) of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) for 2015–2016: North American Blue Carbon: Next Steps in Science for Policy, which also seeks to improve communication and the exchange of information and lessons learned on this topic among the three countries, as well as improve the capacity for recovery of North American coastal zones. Based on the analysis performed, recommendations are offered that will help Mexico determine what strategies and which current policy tools can be used to improve the conservation and restoration of blue carbon-sequestering ecosystems, particularly mangroves.

Supported by the experience of the two participating institutions, this analysis is intended to be comprehensive and objective, and includes an in-depth examination of current opportunities—including a case study—with regard to three strategies: (i) defining how Mexico can take advantage of coastal carbon and include it in its policy, to contribute to the fulfillment of its international obligations acquired; (ii) deciding what legal instruments under the state and federal legal frameworks can include the concept of blue carbon; and (iii) determining the financial mechanisms that can support blue carbon initiatives in the country. Each strategy was addressed by defining its scope and the proposed potential actions that the federal government could undertake to protect ecosystems that capture and store blue carbon, as part of the national change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

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