Mexico’s $17 Million Win to Save Nature!

Mexico has secured funding of $17 million for a major environmental initiative aimed at preserving its natural habitats. The funding, provided by the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), will help Mexico progress towards its goal of conserving 30% of its territory. This is a significant step in meeting the targets set by the new Kunming-Montreal Global Framework (KMGM). The GBFF, managed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), has allocated these funds exclusively to Mexico and Brazil.

The project, named "MEx30x30: Conserving Mexican biodiversity through communities and their protected natural areas", was proposed by the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp), and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP).

The ambitious initiative aims to establish between 6 and 9 new protected areas, reinforcing Mexico's commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The new Global Framework encourages countries to protect 30% of their land and marine areas by 2030, as well as restore degraded ecosystems. To ensure this is effectively carried out, Conservation International (CI) and the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN) will provide support to improve the management of Protected Natural Areas (ANP).

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and executive chairman of the GEF, highlighted the transformative potential of this project. He noted that it will lay the financial and institutional groundwork necessary to achieve the 30×30 target and secure robust management of 30% of Mexico's protected territory.

Between 2022 and 2024, Conanp plans to declare 44 new federal ANPs, bringing the total to 226 protected areas. This, along with the Voluntarily Allocated Conservation Areas (VACA), will cover nearly 95 million hectares. By the end of 2024, it is anticipated that 14% of Mexico's land and 25% of its marine area will be protected. Semarnat and Conanp remain committed to conserving natural resources and supporting the communities that rely on these areas for biodiversity and food security.