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Biocultural may be a word unfamiliar to many. Yet for those of us living in the Mexican state of Yucatan, it is one of deep significance. Our Puuc Biocultural State Reserve is one of the last and most important forested areas in the region. It is unique in that it recognizes the importance of conserving both the biodiversity of the reserve and the cultural values of those who live there.
Inside the reserve, nature is not simply left to its own devices. Local people continue to work the land in a manner that supports—not detracts—from conservation efforts. I am a beekeeper and my mother, an organic farmer, so, for me, the gentle buzzing of an apiary or sight of a milpa maize plot are true indicators of health in the reserve. It is cyclical: We produce by conserving and we conserve by producing.
The Spanish saying—la geografía manda—means, when translated to English, that geography controls everything. As the sole mountainous area in an otherwise low-lying region, this saying is certainly true for us. Water flows from these heights, meaning that both the reserve—and its surrounding lands—are blessed with fertile soils.
Although we may enjoy optimal farming conditions, there is a flip side to our fortunes. While the reserve protects 135,000 hectares of forest, a further 580,000 hectares are not safe from harm. Tempted by the prospect of plentiful yields, vast swathes have been cut to make way for agriculture. As deforestation rates refused to subside, it became clear that we must take action. Faced with extensive ecological damage, we turned to a solution known as REDD+.
First coined by the United Nations, REDD+ is an acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. Under REDD+, forests originally set for logging or agricultural clearance can be protected. First, the volume of carbon emissions that would have been released if trees were felled is calculated. Based on this, an equivalent volume of carbon credits can be sold via the carbon market. In this way, REDD+ can make it more lucrative to preserve trees than to cut them down. Although added financial value is a good incentive, it is not the only reason for conservation—the forest is a home, a habitat, and a site of cultural heritage too.
Implementing REDD+ in Yucatan required cross-border collaboration with the neighboring states of Campeche and Quintana Roo. This work has been driven by both municipal mayors and the extensive, intergenerational knowledge of local people living in the reserve.
Long before REDD+ projects arrived on the scene, Mayan people have been managing the forests of Yucatan. For 3,000 years they maintained the region's soil health through a farming system known as milpa in which maize is intercropped with other plant species. Such was its prevalence, milpa influenced the very biodiversity of the reserve. Although it remains a highly valued local skill, agricultural production is changing; soybean plantations are taking over. Farmed intensively, soya fields are not typically left to rest between harvests, thus compromising overall soil health in favor of short-term economic gains.
The reserve is governed by two bodies: a board of directors and a voluntary citizen's council. While separate groups, these two entities work hand-in-hand. The council is for local people to voice their opinions and contribute to forest conservation and recruits members from ejido communities, academia, and youth groups. Together, they allocate carbon finance, investing in projects such as organic agriculture, beekeeping, women's groups, and biodiversity monitoring cameras.
Carbon finance has facilitated community activities that would not otherwise have been possible. We have established eight biodiversity stations throughout the reserve where local volunteers, especially young people, learn to operate monitoring technology. It has funded more than 400 community orchards, organized women-only carpentry classes, and promoted regenerative cattle ranching. Carbon finance has even been used for milpa education projects for local children.
It is critical that local people—who have worked the land for generations—be offered positions of leadership in REDD+ projects. However, certain community members require more active engagement than others. Women in Yucatan are heavily involved in production and conservation, yet their contributions often go unrecognized and unsupported. The young are also harder to engage, but as conservators of the future, their inputs are extremely valued. We strongly advocate for more women and young people in REDD+ decision-making.
Whichever group you seek to include, one fundamental principle always rings true: When it comes to engaging communities with a REDD+ project, you must not sit back and wait for them to join. It is your role to actively invite local people to participate.
Minneth Medina is general director of the Junta Intermunicipal Biocultural del Puuc.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
