final_report_led_adv..

GCF Training
Program: MEXICO
Workshop Report:
Advancing Low Emissions Rural Development:
Building a Strategy from the Ground Up
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, September 24, 2015.
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1. Introduction
This document describes the activities that took place during the GCF Training Workshop
"Advancing Low Emissions Rural Development: Building a Strategy from the Ground Up," which
took place in the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas on September 24, 2015.
The workshop is part of a training series that began in January 2015 with the workshop:
"Advancing the Development of Low Emissions: a territorial vision," which was the first effort to
initiate a dialogue between the agricultural sector and the environment in the five member states
of the GCF. On this occasion, the objective was to continue that dialogue and if possible, to
advance a critical route towards the implementation of this development model, since an
important part of the workshop was the exploration of success stories from the implementation of
models whose objective is to harmonize public policies and to explore ways to holistically
integrate the interests of both sectors.
More than 50 people attended the workshop, among them Secretaries of the Environment,
Assistant Secretaries and Area Directors of the following institutions: the State of Campeche's
Secretariat of the Environment and Sustainable Use (SMAAS) and Secretariat of Rural
Development; the State of Tabasco's Secretariat of Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental
Protection (SERNAPAM) and Secretariat of Agricultural, Forest and Fisheries Development; the
State of Yucatan's Secretariat of Urban Development and Environment (SEDUMA); the State of
Chiapas' Secretariat of the Environment and Natural History (SEMAHN); the State of Oaxaca's
Secretariat of the Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET) and representatives of
the State Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development (IEDS) as well as members of civil
society and representatives of federal institutions like SAGARPA.
The panel of experts was made up of Marco Heredia, General Coordinator for the Evaluation of
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation of the Ecology and Climate Change Institute; Raissa
Guerra of the Amazonian Environmental Research Institute (IPAM); Guillermo Velasco of the
National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity; José Guadelupe Pérez G.,
expert in certification processes for agricultural products from ABC Mexico and Danae Azuara of
the Environmental Defense Fund.
2. Objectives
The objective was to continue the dialogue that the GCF members initiated during the workshop
"Advancing the Development of Low Emissions: a territorial vision," in January 2015, a dialogue
whose objective is harmonizing the interests of the agricultural sector with those of the
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environment sector in the GCF states, and in this case, in the Observer State Yuctan and Oaxaca, an
interested state. The workshop also had the following objectives:



To raise the level of the discussions about the harmonization of public policies of the
environmental and forestry sectors to include the Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries of
the GCF member states, Yucatan and Oaxaca.
To facilitate an exchange of questions and answers with federal institutions in order to
advance in understanding climate policy in Mexico and the challenges it will face in the
future.
To understand, in an introductory way, the way in which the international market is
transforming to prioritize sustainably-generated products or raw materials and to
understand the certification process for these products; in that same context, to explore
examples of zero deforestation jurisdictional certifications in order to evaluate, through a
team effort, the viability of these certificates in GCF jurisdictions and in the states of
Yucatan and Oaxaca.
3. Program
"Advancing Low Emissions Rural Development: Building a Strategy from the Ground Up"
9:00-9:45 am
Date: September 24, 2015
Location: Hotel Holiday Inn Español, Calle 1 de Marzo No. 15, Centro,
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas
Registration
Romeo
Welcome
Domínguez, GCF
Presentation of the Workshop Objectives
Mexico
Introduction of the Participants
Coordination
Harmonization of Public Policies
9:45-10:15 am
Review of the Lessons Learned in the First Workshop: Advancing the
Development of Low Emissions: A Territorial Vision
Renata Gómez,
Pronatura Sur
10:15-10:30 am
Low emissions Rural Development: From Theory to Practice
José Montero,
Pronatura Sur
Challenges to the Harmonization of Public Policies in Mexico
Marco Heredia,
INECC
10:30-10:45 am
Session: Case Studies
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10:45-11: 45 am
A. The case of Acre and Mato Grasso, Brazil– Raissa Guerra, Amazonian Environmental
Research Institute, IPAM
B. Efforts made at the National Level to Harmonize Public Policies: the Case of the
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor – Juan Báez Montoya and Guillermo Velasco,
CONABIO
C. The Case of Chiapas: Toward the Implementation of Low Emissions Rural Development –
Mauricia González, Director of Regional Development of the Secretariat of Planning,
Public Management and Government Programs of the State of Chiapas
12:15-12:30 pm
12:30-1:30 pm
1:30-2:30 pm
Coffee Break
Discussion Panel – The Challenges of Implementing Low Emissions
Development in the States
Group Discussion on the Lessons Learned on the Factors of Success for
Each Case: What can we Incorporate into State Processes?
2:30-3:30 pm
3:30-3:45 pm
3:45-4:05 pm
GCF Members,
Oaxaca y Yucatán
All participants
Lunch
Market Transformation: In What Direction is the International Market
Moving?
The Certification Process for Agricultural Products (Coffee, Oil Palm,
Beef): Routes to Certification
Towards Zero Deforestation Zones
José Gpe. Pérez
G., ABC México
Danae Azuara,
EDF
Question and Answer Session with the Presenters
Coffee Break
4:15-4:30 pm
4:30-4:50 pm
4:50-5:30 pm
5:30 – 6:00 pm
Group work session: Is Implementation of a Zero Deforestation
Certificate Possible in the Medium Term in the States? / Producers Government - Market Relations
Results of the Discussion Between Sectors: Critical Route - Next Steps
Conclusion
All participants in
teams
All participants
Facilitator
4. Presentations
I. Welcome and Presentation
Romeo Domínguez, GCF Mexico Coordinator, gave the welcome, emphasizing the importance of
creating spaces for dialogue like this one to make progress in understanding the different needs
that the GCF states face, especially on topics related to the protection of tropical forests and the
harmonization of different governmental sectors.
Words of welcome were also given to the participants by representatives of the Government of
the State of Chiapas. Speaking for the Secretary of the Environment and Natural History, Assistant
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Secretary of Climate Change, Dr. Afredo Ruiz Samayoa emphasized how important it was for his
state to be hosting colleagues from the states of Yucatan, Oaxaca, Campeche, Jalisco and Tabasco.
Another welcome was given to the participants by Educardo Coutiño Arrazola, on behalf of
Ricardo Hernández, the Assistant Secretary of Forestry Development, who spoke about the
relevance of these forums in the effort to bring the agricultural and environmental sectors closer
together; in the same vein, Demetrio Mondragón, on behalf of José Aguilar Bodegas, emphasized
the commitment that the Secretariat of Rural Areas of the State of Chiapas has with the
environmental sector and the commitments that emerged from it.
Dr. Eduardo Batllori Sampedro, Secretary of Urban Development and the Environment of the State
of Yucatan, pointed out the importance of addressing topics related to climate change not only
because they are related to economic development and food production among other issues, but
also because they are fundamental to human rights since climate change and its adverse effects
directly affect thousands of people on a daily basis.
The other attendees of the workshop introduced themselves one by one, and immediately
thereafter the workshop activities commenced.
Next please find a brief summary of the presentations and discussions that took place during the
workshop.
Presenter
Renata Gómez, Pronatura
Sur – National GCF
Coordination in Mexico
Avances Advances
Review of the results of the workshop: "Advancing LER-D: A Territorial Vision", January
2015
The objective of the January workshop was to discuss the vulnerability of the agricultural
sector and the necessity to advance on possible pathways toward a solution to
deforestation and climate change.
Among the conclusions drawn were that GCF states have the following opportunities: there
is political will, there is social participation, there are plans and programs that encourage
interinstitutional collaboration, the states understand the new financing sources and
mechanisms, COP Paris 2015: new goals and commitments, there is international, national
and regional stability, production can be increased, quality can be improved and poverty
can be fought and a real alignment of public policies can be achieved.
At this time it is important to highlight the opportunities for subnational states, because:
 They devise public policies that have the largest impact on climate change,
 They serve as laboratories for innovation in public policies; and,
 They are the critical link in the vertical integration of climate policies.
José Montero, Pronatura
Sur – Environmental Policy
Team
Low Emissions Rural Development: From Theory to Practice.
Basic elements of LER-D:
Vision/goals: A global vision can help steer political decisions and investments in the short,
medium and long term.
Evaluating the current situation: A clear understanding of the current situation and of
emssions factors, as well as socioenvironmental indicators, is fundamental for decision
making.
Projecting emissions, potential for mitigation and costs: Having these projections helps in
planning actions, their cost and the trajectory of emissions reduction.
Vulnerability assessment: Indicators of how much and how climate change will be an
impact, and how affected sectors including the population in general can become involved;
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needs for adaptation and the range of possiblities.
Priority policies and programs: A guide for the priorities for mitigation and adaptation,
synergies and necessary agreements.
Financing: Alignment of priorities given the available budget.
Some examples of models that are underway:
• Brazil: Law on Incentives System for Environmental Services of the State of Acre;
REDD+ Law of Matto Grosso; green municipalities of Para.
• Indonesia: Jurisdictional Certification
• Mexico: Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, Intermunicipal Committees,
Interinstitutional Boards, Watershed Councils
Marco Heredia, General
Coordinator of the
Evaluation of Climate
Change Mitigation and
Adaptation Policies of the
National Ecology and
Climate Change Institute
Challenges to the Harmonization of Public Policies.
Primary challenges:
 Generating a shared vision;
 Establishing agreements between actors with different perspectives, needs and interests;
 Designing regulatory policy instruments (legal or administrative) that respond to
identified needs and seek to meet the ultimate goal;
 Establishing and maintaining effective communication and coordination mechanisms.
And at the federal, state and municipal levels of government, in addition to among the
different sectors.
There was lots of participation in the question and answer session.
Case Study Session
i. The Case of Acre y Mato
Grosso, Brazil – Raissa
Guerra, Amazonian
Environmental Research
Institute, IPAM
ii. Efforts made at the
National Level to
Harmonize Public
Policies: the Case of the
Mesoamerican Biological
Corridor –Guillermo
Velasco, CONABIO
Raissa Guerra of IPAM spoke to us about two interesting initiatives that have emerged in
Brazil, one being the strategy to reduce emissions and halt deforestation in Acre, and the
other, on a smaller scale, in the state of Mato Grosso.
Both states have had very different histories, the scale of the two projects are different-Acre's is at a State scale and Mato Grosso's is at a regional scale. Learning that there are
diverse possibilities for territorial actions was especially enriching to the participants in this
workshop; they learned new information about innovative actions that can be undertaken
in the territories. The two initiatives emerged in response to the need to preserve
remaining forest resources; the Acre case was focused on the Incentives System for
Environmental Services in the State of Acre (SISA), how it works and its current challenges;
and the Mato Grosso case focused on the development of the Cotriguaçu Sempre Verde
(CSV) Project.
The National Commission for the Understanding and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) is an
intersecretarial commission created in 1992 as a permanent entity. CONABIO is headed by
the Constitutional President of Mexico and its members include the heads of almost all of
the Secretariats of the State, which makes it an example of harmonization at the federal
level, although it is worth mentioning that it is implemented on a regional scale. Its
mission is to generate articulated attention in the regions to bring about territorial
development based upon:
1) Reduction of changes in land use,
2) Sustainable increase of primary productivity,
3) The use and management of biodiversity,
4) Ensuring the provision of environmental services,
5) Improving community management.
Concretely, the implementation of the Environmental Governance Model for Sierra Madre
of Chiapas was discussed.
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iii. The Case of Chiapas:
Toward the
Implementation of Low
Emissions Rural
Development – Mauricia
González, Director of
Regional Development of
the Secretariat of
Planning, Public
Management and
Government Programs of
the State of Chiapas
José Guadelupe Pérez G.,
ABC México
Mauricia González of SEPLAN spoke about the State System for Democratic Planning and
how planning the state's socioeconomic development is organized. Among the challenges
facing the implementation of an integrated and harmonized perspective on state planning,
Mauricia mentioned these:
 Incorporating the environmental variable in land use plans, programs and
projects, and making sure substantive environmental improvements are taken
into consideration when creating land use plans.
 Achieving effective leadership and interinstitutional and intergovernmental
coordination for the implementation of appropriate territorial public policies with
sustainable natural resource management, reconciling the interests of rural and
urban actors.
The following are some successful cases in the State of Chiapas:
• The "RedChiapas" Network Forum of Local Development Groups in Chiapas, in
order to promote a territorial approach in development
• Cattle production in forested pastureland systems, with owners and small
producers
• La Suiza micro watershed in the Montecristo municipality
• Resin development project in Frailesca
The Certification Process for Agricultural Products (Coffee, Oil Palm, Beef): Routes to
Certification
José Guadelupe Pérez spoke about the importance of certification at the global level, of
the challenges that large companies purchasing raw materials have imposed on themselves
to reduce their ecological footprint; it was very interesting to learn about the certification
process, which can be summed up in the following way:
Danae Azuara,
Environmental Defense
Fund
Towards Zero Deforestation Zones
One of the responses to this challenge is the idea of moving from protecting individual
plantations to certifying entire jurisdictions, that is, moving from small projects to state-
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wide landscapes. For this, it's fundamental to consider the involvement of the following
actors:
Government
Policy and
program
framework.
Financing and
incentives.
Private Sector
Landscape-level
Incentives
Involvement of
communities and
parties with
interests in forests
Better practices at
the producer
level.
Large companies'
policies in their
supply chains.
Jurisdictional REDD+
The following actions are undertaken to meet this goal

Helping with the financial transition

The producers do not have all the resources they need for the transformation.
The companies will not pay for it.

Removing obstacles to access frozen capital.

Directing resources strategically - creating incentives, market tools that will
generate private sector investment.

Jurisdictional REDD+ payment for performance.
5. Closure and conclusions.
As a collective final exercise, the participants state-by-state made presentations on the work
sessions that followed the presentations. The intention was to identify the necessary next steps
for advancing in the harmonization of territorial planning in each state. In this way, the farming
and environmental sectors were able to work together to try to align interests in addressing the
challenges they have in common.
The main conclusions arrived at by the work teams--grouped by state--are listed below.
Tabasco

There is a need to align environmental poicies through a judicial framework that is
adapted to the most productive uses for the land
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




Synergies can be generated to promote sustainability and for this financial instruments for
public policies, from both sectors, must be tuned to the productive cycle and they must be
independent of administrative processes.
More ties between government, business and producers are needed
Promotion of agriculturally-oriented sustainable projects
Move toward good practices, taking into account incentives for producers
Tabasco's State Climate Change Strategy: continuing with the dialogue is needed, arriving
at agreements and reaching compromises
Chiapas









The political debate should use the LER-D framework, considering local livelihoods to
increase synergies
It's necessary to be flexible when proposing alternative practices
Innovative public policies are key in this proess
Keep in mind the "La Suiza" example: holistic, territorial and long-term focus built
together with the producers
Identification of where investments can begin to be made in the Sierra Madre
Explore territorial certification; although at the beginning certified products do not fetch a
high price they can indeed attract public investments in productive systems. The
intention of this second idea is to bring these producers closer to the market
Generate a technical offering that will allow every producer to prepare his or her packages
with the objective being that the producers be capable to create their own business plans
Awareness: enthusiastic productors
Develop models that will allow us to work at the producer level to generate more impact
and allow the models to be reproduced
Oaxaca



There are efforts, public policy instruments that can contribute to the reduction of
emissions, thanks to LER-D
Examples: Coastal land use ordinances | already-initiated local ordinances: Huatulco |
regional ordinances for the state, publication process
The need to apply and implement rules, laws
Campeche




Zero deforestation in the states: a big challenge. Although there are legal instruments, the
work that is happening is still being done by the sectors
It's necessary to include committed producers in zero deforestation
If all the sectors are aligned the goal of zero deforestation can be reached at the state level
Soy and oil palm cultivation: success story. There is no deforestation but rather this is
being done using land that was formerly used for grazing
Jalisco
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1) How much harmonization is there and what needs are identified?
There are areas of opportunity: greater linkage between the levels of government and
institutions, there is a plurality of support but they are not sufficiently articulated, there is
no permanence in the programs, political priorities constantly change, there is no process
to evaluate policies nor measurement of expected objectives. More political will is
necessary to achieve harmonization.
2) What alternatives exist for LED-D:
There are six intermunicipal boards set up that cover more than 50% of the state's territory, they
are a platform that operates successfully. They are attempting to build a biological corridor for
the voluntary conservation of forests.
The challenges they identify are the following:
 How to actively generate greater ties that are truly grounded in the territory
 Oportunidad: “de abajo hacia arriba” sin que desde el gob se impongan los programas.
Fortalecer las cadenas de valor que pueda fortalecer a los productores, el mercado, para
reducir la dependencia de subsidios
 Opportunity: "from the ground up" without the government imposing the programs.
Strengthening value chains that can strengthen producers, the market, to reduce
dependence on subsidies
 Fundamental topic when talking about commercial plantations: territorial planning analyze what species are being grown
Yucatán







The sectorial planning strategy has been exhausted and due to the exhaustion of this
model, strategies with a territorial vision are emerging; they are being promoted by
agencies, municipalities to solve common problems
The case of the Sierra Madre is interesting - the law of sustainable rural development has
been underutilized and could be salvaged and implemented
Decentralized public organizations could form a melting pot of synergies, but it is
important to keep in mind and understand how federation-state resources can be aligned,
for example when the federation promotes genetically-modified crops in the states and
contradicts the interests of the environmental sector
COPLADER and regional programs can embrace environmental and social issues
Regional governance figures that allow actions to be strengthened should be established
Promote user committees | intermunicipal boards | regional alliances | citizen councils |
COPLADER |
It is necessary to establish special concurrent state programs - raise the federal level to
obtain intersecretarial responses to states' demands or applications
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5. Photographs from the Event
Left to right: Israel Gómez, Subdelegate of SAGARPA in Chiapas, Dr. Eduardo Batllori, Secretary of SEDUMA,
Yucatán; Romeo Domínguez, GCF Mexico Coordinator; Mauricia González, Regional Director of SEPLAN
Chiapas; Dr. José A. Ruiz, Assistant Secretary of Climate Change of SEMAHN Chiapas.
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José Montero, Pronatura Sur A. C.
Guillermo Velasco, CONABIO
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Group work. Above: Yucatan; below: Tabasco.
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Group work. Above: Chiapas and Oaxaca; below: Jalisco.
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Group work. Above: Campeche; below: Guillermo Velasco, Felicia Line y Danae Azuara.
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Appendices
I.
List of Attendees
Name
1.
2.
Ing. Jose Maria May Chable
Andrea Contreras
3.
William Naal
4.
Luis Felipe Zamora Cornelio
5.
Laura Elena López León
6.
Lic. Cuauhtémoc Arguello
Palomo
7.
Jorge David Guiot Garcia
8.
Vázquez
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Lic. Carlos O. Morales
Mauricia González
Lic. Cristóbal Mendez López
Julio César Zenteno Ruiz
Verónica Gutiérrez
Eduardo Coutiño Arrazola
Ing. Israel de Jesús Gómez T.
Ing. Alejandro Jacob Zenón
Ing. Dimas de la Peña M.
Demetrio Mondragón
Magdiel Nucamendi
Mtra. Gabriela López Damián
Institution
Secretaría de Desarrollo Rural
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales del estado de
Campeche (SEMARNATCam)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales del estado de
Campeche (SEMARNATCam)
Secretaría de Energía, Recursos Naturales y Protección Ambiental
(Sernapam)
Secretaría de Energía, Recursos Naturales y Protección Ambiental
(Sernapam)
Secretaría de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Forestal y Pesquero,
(SEDAFOP)
Secretaría de Desarrollo Agropecuario, Forestal y Pesquero,
(SEDAFOP)
Secretario de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, (SEMAHN) del
estado de Chiapas
Directora de Desarrollo Regional de la SPGPyPG
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, (SEMAHN)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, (SEMAHN)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, (SEMAHN)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente e Historia Natural, (SEMAHN)
SAGARPA, Delegación Chiapas
SAGARPA, Delegación Chiapas
SAGARPA, Delegación Chiapas
Secretaría del Campo, (SECAM)
Secretaría del Campo, (SECAM)
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Territorial, (SEMADET)
20.
Mónica Díaz López Negrete
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo
Territorial, (SEMADET)
21.
Mario Aguilar Hernández
Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Territorial, (SEMADET)
22.
23.
Dr. Elías Sandoval Islas
Sara Covaleda
Secretaría de Desarrollo Rural
Pronatura Sur
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
Danae Azuara
Marco Lara
Felicia Line
Pilar Jacobo
Ing. Miguel Ángel Domínguez
Eduardo Batllori Sampedro
EDF
AMBIO
EcoLogic
Pronatura Sur
Instituto Estatal de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable
Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente del Estado de
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30.
31.
Ing. Carlos Carrillo
Andrés III Sierra Gómez
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
Máximo Paredes
Romeo Domínguez Barradas
Renata Gómez Castillo
Efraim Acosta Lugo
Camilo Thompson
José Montero
Yucatán
Encargado del Despacho del Secretario de Desarollo Rural
Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente del Estado de
Yucatán
Secretaria de Desarrollo Rural
Pronatura Península de Yucatán
Pronatura Sur A. C.
Pronatura Sur A. C.
Pronatura Sur A. C.
Pronatura Sur A. C.
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