 Mexico
Environment Summary
Mexico's incredible biological diversity is ranked fourth
overall in the world, and its mammalian species diversity
the highest in the Americans. Mexico is also a highly industrialized
country of over 100 million people, with widespread manufacturing
and an extensive oil and gas industry. In spite of this, almost
50 million people are living in poverty, many of whom live
and depend on the areas rich in biodiversity, a fact which
makes it a challenge to balance conservation and development.
USAID's environment program in Mexico focuses on improving
the conservation and management of natural resources and energy
in targeted watersheds by assisting local people to participate
in the implementation of conservation and more sustainable
use of their land, developing and promoting adoption of technologies
that are economically viable and ecologically sound, and improving
the national enabling environment to support better practices
and more local participation. Under the Agency's new strategic
approach, work is being undertaken in four watershed areas
of valuable biodiversity where local people suffer from high
rates of poverty and marginalization: (1) the middle Usumacinta
(Chiapas); (2) the Pacific Coast (Chiapas), (3) the Chimalapas
(Oaxaca); and (4) the Sierra Tarahumara (Chihuahua).
USAID's environment activities in Mexico are summarized below
in the following areas:
Biodiversity & Conservation
Biodiversity Conservation & Improved Watershed Management
 The
Government of Mexico has identified water and forests as critical
to Mexico's national security. USAID is cooperating with a
range of U.S. and Mexican organizations to introduce new technologies
that improve watershed management, and promote sustainable
enterprises that conserve Mexico's biodiversity. The Watershed
Management Program operates on the premise that if (a) economic
opportunities are increased (particularly in areas where communities
rely on natural resources for their well being), and (b) communities
have greater capacity to control the resources on which they
depend, then natural resources and biodiversity can be conserved
more effectively. Because over 70% of the country's protected
areas are private or communal properties, the activities USAID
supports involve the participation of people living in rural,
and often very remote, areas who belong to some of the poorest
segments of the population.
The Program is being carried out in four key watersheds that
were selected on the basis of their high biodiversity, high
degrees of environmental threat, and high levels of poverty
that result in poor resource management and the loss of biodiversity.
All four watersheds contain extensive forests. Three sites
are located in forested areas of southern Mexico: along the
Usumacinta River in Chiapas, the Pacific Coast of Chiapas
and the Chimalapas region on the Oaxaca-Chiapas border. The
fourth site is located in the Sierra Madre Tarahumara area
of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. This site forms the headwaters
of the Conchos River, the Rio Grande's largest tributary;
so activities there also benefit the joint U.S. - Mexico management
of this critical watershed.
 USAID
is partnering with three internationally recognized conservation
organizations: The Nature
Conservancy (TNC), Conservation
International (CI), and the World
Wildlife Foundation (WWF). These environmental organizations
in turn work closely with Mexican public and private institutions.
Together, they are generating new economic opportunities for
rural communities - through the promotion of eco-tourism;
the production and commercialization of cacao, specialty coffees,
and products from community forests; and other environmentally
friendly enterprises. In addition to technical assistance
in crop production, local producers are being assisted in
marketing their products.
The Program supports important initiatives by local communities
and governments to develop community-based natural resource
management plans that focus on sustainable forestry and watershed
management. These plans identify measures needed for conservation
and natural resource use that are consistent with development
of environmentally sound economic opportunities. Where appropriate,
ecosystem services are also being promoted to raise funds
from downstream water users for improved watershed protection.
Back to Top ^
Forestry
Improved Fire Management
Efforts in watershed management are complemented by a forest
fires program being implemented by the the Fondo Mexicano
para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (FMCN), and the
U. S. Forest Service, in partnership with Mexico's National
Forestry Commission (CONAFOR). The Fire Management Program
works with CONAFOR to improve the technical capacity in Mexico
to manage and control forest fires, with local communities
and institutions to increase their involvement and capacity
in the prevention and improved management of fires, and is
participating in the development of the national fire strategy
that will help strengthen the links between the local and
the federal government's role in fire management. The Program
builds on activities that were implemented after the catastrophic
fires that struck Mexico in 1998, which were driven by an
El Niño event and impacted an estimated 800,000 hectares.
Between 1999 and 2004, USAID provided more than $7.5 million
in equipment, technical assistance, and training from the
U.S. Forest Service, as well as $5.75 million in grant funds
to the FMCN for community-level fire prevention and restoration
in and around eleven biologically critical areas.
Back to Top ^
Energy
Improving Energy Efficiency
Mexico's demand for electrical power is rising at the rate of 3% to 4% annually. Growing demand on generation capacity will lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gases - particularly carbon dioxide - which are linked to health problems, environmental damage, and climate change. During the last ten years, USAID has invested over $25 million to support Mexico's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and pollution by identifying ways to adopt technologies (a) for large-scale energy conservation and clean production, and (b) for renewable energy production.
USAID has sponsored pilot projects for the use of sustainable technologies in targeted industries and municipalities. Policies that support the use of these non-polluting, energy efficient technologies are being developed, and efforts to identify sources of financing for their implementation is underway.
Since the early 1990's, USAID has cooperated with FIDE (Electric Savings Trust Fund) on programs to promote energy efficiency. FIDE successfully carried out a program to substitute high efficiency electric motors (HEM) for standard motors in 20 industries, and then implemented a national incentive program to promote the manufacture and use of HEM and compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) in Mexico that succeeded in transforming the Mexican market. By 2003, all HEM and 85% of CFL sold in Mexico were produced in Mexico. Energy savings have been very significant. FIDE will soon implement the second phase of its energy conservation program, focusing on new technologies for air conditioning, refrigeration, residential insulation, agricultural pumps, and additional energy efficiency measures for small and medium sized industrial firms.
Renewable energy activities throughout Mexico are being supported:
- With USAID technical assistance, Mexico developed a large scale renewable energy program to bring electricity to Mexico's remotest areas. This $110 million project is scheduled to be financed by the GOM and the World Bank.
- One of the highest potential wind power generation sites in the world has been identified in southern Mexico, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Based on USAID's technical study, the GOM is developing an initial wind farm consisting of five plants with public and private sector investment.
- A variety of small scale renewable energy applications have been promoted, such as solar and wind water pumps for off-grid farms. Private companies have been trained to design better systems and to provide better services. Over 400 renewable energy systems - producing over 14 million kilowatts of electrical power - have been installed to date to meet off-grid agricultural and conservation needs. More than ninety percent of theses new technologies have proven to be sustainable by the enterprises and local governments that employ them without additional USAID support. Replication of these activities has been financed by federal and state governments and approximately 2,000 new photovoltaic systems have been installed since year 2000.
- Efforts will soon be underway to turn open land fills from a major liability into an economic resource, by promoting the capture of methane gas - a major greenhouse gas - and then burning it to generate electricity. In addition, under PEMEX's Sustainable Development Program, USAID will soon begin cooperating with the company and its key suppliers on pilot projects for methane recovery from natural gas facilities, in preparation for larger scale programs.
For more information on U.S.-Mexico collaboration on the
capture and reuse of Methane gas click
here.
Back to Top ^
Water
Water Quality and Availability
In addition to USAID/Mexico's watershed management activities
listed above, Initiatives to improve water quality through
more efficient use of water and reduction of pollution are
integrated with all other aspects of the Environment Program.
New technologies are being introduced, and specialized training
is being provided, to reduce water pollution from a variety
of sources, to conserve water, and to use it more efficiently.
Water utilities and municipal governments are key participants
in water related activities because untreated sewage and solid
waste disposal are two major sources of water pollution. USAID
works with state and municipal governments to design new treatment
plants and better land fills. In addition to improving sewage
treatment, the program is also advising municipalities on
how they can improve their potable water facilities to eliminate
water waste, reduce energy consumption, and ultimately, provide
larger volumes of cleaner water to their citizens.
Since many municipalities lack access to investment capital
for water and treatment facilities, USAID is cooperating with
the North American Development
Bank to fill part of the gap. USAID finances technical
assistance for the design, implementation, and management
of water and sewage plants, and the North American Development
Bank extends partial funding for projects as loans or grants.
USAID also cooperates with tourism enterprises and municipalities
along the coast of Quintana Roo, south of Cancún, to
promote environmentally friendly practices by hotels and to
improve waste management and sewage treatment - all of which
are essential to maintaining a clean and safe tourist area
in this very fragile environmental settling.
The oil fields and refineries operated by PEMEX (Petróleos
Mexicanos) are often located in environmentally sensitive
areas. USAID has trained PEMEX specialists who work with each
refinery to review environmental protection practices and
to identify ways to reduce water use and pollution. These
technicians not only are reducing the environmental impacts
of PEMEX operations, they are also improving energy efficiency.
Back to Top ^
Climate Change
USAID/Mexico supports an environmental program that seeks to protect biodiversity, promote energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and decrease Mexico's vulnerability to climate change. The Mission's climate change activities have focused in particular on forest conservation, renewable energy, and clean production systems that mitigate GHG emissions.
For more information see USAID/EGAT's
Mexico Climate Change Country Program web page and Mexico
Global Climate Change Country Profile
Back to Top ^
|
