Institutional Mechanisms for REDD+ - Case Studies Working Paper

Based on the periodic remote sensing monitoring system, the tree coverage in the project areas is stable. 38 A
preliminary assessment of the 2004 CONAFOR PSAH cohort conducted by Alix-Garcia et. al. suggests that
the program has, overall, reduced deforestation among those who were causing deforestation by
approximately two percent and also reduced the probability of deforestation by 24 percent compared with
other areas that were not involved in the program. 39 The largest impacts were in the northeast and northcentral
states. However, one of the main concerns about the effectiveness of PES schemes in reducing
deforestation is related to additionality. In the case of Tlahuitoltepec, it appears that setting lands apart to be
managed as forests did not displace agricultural activities because the forest management activities are
occurring in common areas that had been degraded in the past. Furthermore, because members of the
community are more aware of the impacts of deforestation, they had already stopped, to some extent, slash
and burn agriculture. Rather than clear new lands, community members collected organic fertilizer and
topsoil from the forested areas to maintain the productivity of their crops. Thus far, the system appears to be
working relatively well (interviews in Tlahuitoltepec). For projects involved in the CONAFOR‘s PSAH
scheme, there is less clarity and lack of systematic analysis of additionality according to CONAFOR. There is
also uncertainty with Ambio‘s REDD+ pilot project in Chiapas, but the idea is that through the design of
community and household Planes Vivos, the communities will be more aware of the different land use options
and, therefore, able to make more informed decisions. 40
Since in many cases revenues generated from forest management activities are significantly low compared to
other economic activities, another major concern is how communities will react when faced with pressure to
shift their land use practices. This issue will be encountered across the board, even in communities with a
solid/stable forest management tradition. For example, several forest communities in the State of Jalisco that
are Forest Stewardship Council-certified are seriously considering converting their forests to avocado
plantations for export because of the possibility of a substantive increase in income. An approach to counter
this trend that is being considered by CONAFOR is to support and promote sustainable forest management
certification for communities to be able to offer certified wood as an additional stream of income and to link
certified communities with REDD+ and/or biodiversity markets. 41
Indirect and co-benefits provided to local communities:
In addition to financial benefits from REDD+ in México, there are a number of co-benefits that should be
considered and pursued. In Tlahuitoltepec, for example, community representatives highlighted the following
benefits: 42
� Water capture: The community has experienced a constant flow of water in streams and creeks that were
seasonally dry throughout the year;
� Biodiversity conservation: A few animal species–including game species–that had not been seen in the
communities for some time have been spotted in recent years;
� Soil conservation: SAO has documented increases in the top-soil/organic matter cover in areas that have
been reforested of up to 20 cm. Members of the communities use this material as organic fertilizer in
their crops, which also results in a reduction of slash and burn agriculture;
38 Interview with Paula Bauche, CONAFOR; Antony Challenger, SEMARNAT.
39 Alix-García, J.M., E.N. Shapiro, K.R.E. Sims. 2010. Forest Conservation and Slippage: Evidence from México‘s National Payments for Ecosystem
Services Program. Working Paper. Online at http://cbey.research.yale.edu/uploads/Environmental%20Economics%20Seminar/Alix-
Garcia%20Shapiro%20and%20Sims%20PES%20Mexico%208-6-10.pdf (10/14/11).
40 Interview with Elsa Esquivel (AMBIO).
41 Interview with Paola Bauche, José María Michel, Sofia Magdalena Garcia Sanchez, Victor Hugo Martinez Cintora (CONAFOR).
42 SAO, 2010; interviews with members of the community in Tlahuitoltepec and Carlos Perez-Gonzalez (SAO).
PRRGP INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR REDD: CASE STUDIES – WORKING PAPER 15