Conservation International Mexico
Conservation International Mexico is the Mexico program of Conservation International, operating locally as Conservación Internacional México, A.C. The organisation has worked in Mexico since 1990 and maintains offices in Mexico City, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
Its work in Mexico has included a USAID-supported coastal-management programme, landscape-scale biodiversity conservation and ecological land-use planning in southern Mexico, and participation in conservation-finance initiatives connected to Mexico's biodiversity targets.
History
Conservation International began working in Mexico in 1990.Activities by location
Conservation International Mexico works with public and local partners in Mexico on conservation and sustainable management initiatives, including restoration, land-use planning and conservation finance.Mexico City
Conservation International Mexico maintains an office in Mexico City.In 2024, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund approved Mex30x30: Conserving Mexican biodiversity through communities and their protected areas, with Conservation International listed as the agency and GBFF project financing of US$16,672,477. The project aims to advance Mexico's 30x30 target through long-term sustainable financing for existing national protected areas and Areas Voluntarily Designated for Conservation, strengthening CONANP’s capacity to pursue diverse financing options and applying a Project Finance for Permanence approach, alongside investments in conservation, restoration and sustainable management with the engagement of Indigenous peoples and local communities. GBFF financing was reported as 16.6 million with a total project value of 115.54 million, structured around four components including strengthening CONANP, mobilizing additional funds for protected areas, support to protected areas and areas voluntarily designated by Indigenous peoples and local communities, and improvements in knowledge management and impact evaluation. Conservation International announced the launch of the project in August 2024. The project is listed in the GBFF portfolio.
Nationwide
Mexico's national restoration-information system, the Sistema Nacional de Información para la Restauración Ambiental, and its geospatial interface are maintained by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity. SNIRA compiles information from more than 4,500 restoration projects and experiences nationwide, and the HG‑SNIRA interface supports restoration planning by enabling users to consult more than 50 national-scale geospatial layers and generate automated diagnostic reports for areas of interest. Coverage of the HG‑SNIRA launch identified Restauración de Paisajes Emblemáticos in Oaxaca and Chiapas—promoted by Conservation International Mexico and partners—as among the restoration efforts documented through SNIRA.Oaxaca and Chiapas
Conservation International Mexico maintains offices in Oaxaca and Chiapas.In 2018, CONANP announced implementation of the GEF-financed project Conservación y Uso Sustentable de la Diversidad Biológica en Paisajes de Chiapas y Oaxaca, with the participation of CI México and a reported project amount of US$8 million. The project applied an integrated landscape approach across three priority landscapes and combined biodiversity conservation with sustainable production and measures intended to support long-term financial sustainability for integrated landscape management. Official planning documentation described the intervention area as about 2.6 million hectares across the priority landscapes.
In Chiapas, a 2019 decree established the Programa de Ordenamiento Ecológico Regional del Territorio de la Región Sierra Madre y Costa de Chiapas, covering 2,492,915 hectares and organising the planning framework around 990 Unidades de Gestión Ambiental ; the state environment secretariat described the decree as part of the Paisajes Sostenibles project, executed by CI México and CONANP. State reporting also described coordination activities for municipal participation in implementation of the regional ecological land-use programme.
In Oaxaca, terms of reference published by the state environment secretariat set out preparation of a regional ecological land-use programme for the Sierra Sur and Coast of Oaxaca as part of the same GEF project, covering 76 municipalities and incorporating public consultation and consultation with Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities as described in the document.
Conservation International Mexico presents landscape-restoration work in Oaxaca and Chiapas under the Restauración de Paisajes Emblemáticos initiative. The initiative has aimed to restore 17,657 hectares through methods including assisted natural regeneration and agroforestry systems.