The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, Mexico’s most ecologically diverse protected area, described as a “green jewel” in the heart of the country, is home to jaguarondi, wild cats in danger of extinction. They live in the Reserve together with more than 110 other species of mammals 334 bird species, and 2,308 plant species, many of which are yet to be found anywhere else on earth. The Reserve with over 380,000 hectares of forest and other ecosystems is afforded special conservation status as a natural protected area.
Once-threatened species that inhabit the reserve’s 14 distinct ecosystems, including jaguar, Humboldt butterflies, green macaws, and aquatic life, are increasing in number.
Ten years after Ms. Ruiz Corzo, her husband, and local residents established the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group, they successfully lobbied the Mexican Government to grant the area Biosphere Reserve status in 1997 with recognition as a protected natural area by the Environmental and Natural Resource Ministry (SEMARNAT). It remains the only case in Mexico of a protected area resulting from a grassroots initiative.
Since then, the region has transformed into a role model of sustainable development for Mexico and the world.
The reserve is heralded as a model of public-private ecosystem management, where eco-tourism, waste management, and conservation projects provide income for hundreds of local residents, as well as securing the future of a rich habitat once threatened by deforestation and unregulated development.
On September 19, 2013, Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo, better known as ‘Pati,’ a grassroots environmental campaigner, was honored for “Empowering Poor Communities and Spearheading Green Economy.” She is credited with securing the future of one of Mexico’s most critical ecosystems, and supporting the livelihoods of disadvantaged rural communities, received a 2013 Champions of the Earth award, the UN system’s highest environmental accolade.
“The transformation of the from a critically threatened ecosystem to a living example of conservation through green economic development and community action is testament to Pati’s inspirational work over the past three decades,“ said UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner who presented her award.
Through her work and advocacy, 33 per cent of the State of Querétaro is now protected as a Biosphere Reserve.
In 2008, the Sierra Gorda in the neighboring state of Guanajuato also achieved Biosphere Reserve status, resulting in another 280,000 hectares coming under conservation management.
The Champions of the Earth prize is awarded annually to leaders from government, civil society and the private sector, whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment. It is organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Champion of the Earth: Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo from UNEP
“A love for the Earth, safeguarding the sacred fabric of Nature, promoting individual and collective efforts, being alert to emergencies, and a maintaining the commitment, creativity and passion to relieve the weight that our society places on the planet; this is what continues to inspire my work,” said Ms. Ruiz Corzo.
“Her success comes from her innovative approach to finding sustainable development solutions for poor communities that are often burdened with the costs associated with conserving nature,” says the UN biographical sketch of Pati that accompanied her award. “But through Pati’s efforts, they are now environmental service providers and derive part of their livelihood from protecting local ecosystems.
“Pati was responsible for the federal administration of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve for 14 years. Before that, she spent eight years as a UN Development Programme Coordinator, gathering accolades and securing cash and in-kind resources in excess of US$45 million. She has drawn considerable national and international attention to the region and has raised significant resources from the private and public sectors to support a “conservation economy.”
Conservation Economy
Margay (Leopardus wiedii), also known as a tree ocelot, is a spotted cat native to the Americas. The: margay, a solitary nocturnal animal that prefers remote sections of rainforests, is on the IUCN list of “threatened species.” IUCN description is: “This species is genetically very diverse across its range and shows a high degree of population structure, with three distinct clusters: Central America and Mexico, northern South America and southern South America. The demarcation between northern and southern South America was identified as the Amazon River. In Central America, there were weaker differences between populations from the north (Mexico and Guatemala) and those from the south of this region (Eizirik et al. 1998).”
Ms. Ruiz Corzo has long advocated a “conservation economy,” combining natural protected area management with widespread civil participation.
Over the past 25 years, Pati and Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) have engaged more than 34,000 people in community environmental education programs, solid waste management, soil restoration, productive diversification, and conservation. Pati and her team have developed simple replication strategies through online and on-site courses provided by the Earth Center training center.
The “Learning and Teaching for a Sustainable Future UNESCO-Sierra Gorda” diploma is a certified course that teaches the lessons learned in the SGBR to students graduating from the training center. In 2010 alone, the course served 900 students.
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve works to diversify the region’s economy by harnessing the benefits of ecosystem services, and training community members in conservation-based skills, to alleviate poverty and build social entrepreneurship.
Don Maco and his wife, beneficiaries of the payments for environmental services program.: Photograph by Roberto Pedraza Ruiz.A “payment for ecosystem services” program has been central to the success of the reserve. The scheme, which gained the backing of the federal government, assigned an economic value to fresh water, land, and other key natural resources. Local residents were paid US$30-40 per hectare of land for reducing cattle numbers and not cutting down trees, which improved local watersheds and reduced soil erosion.
Hundreds of families in Sierra Gorda receive more than US$2 million from the sale of carbon credits. Furthermore, Pati has spearheaded the development of a “Basket of Ecosystem Services and Products,” a brand new regional catalogue of environmental products and services.
Among a range of community schemes, the Biosphere Reserve operates over 100 recycling depots run on a voluntary basis by local women. They manage 900 tons of recyclable materials per year.
A community environmental education program has reached 18,000 children in 170 schools in the region, while a network of eco-clubs across five states trains young people in environmental leadership.
Abel, a forest warden protecting biodiversity-rich forests in the Sierra Gorda.: Photograph by Roberto Pedraza Ruiz
Ms. Ruiz Corzo is also a pioneer in valuing natural capital. Sierra Gorda obtained carbon offsets validated by the Rainforest Alliance under the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance and the Voluntary Carbon Standard, which is the first validated forest project of its kind in Mexico.
These tools have been adopted by the state Government and are also in the process of being validated by the National Forestry Commission in order to be easily replicated in other parts of the country.
During her appearance in New York for the UN Award ceremony, I had a chance to learn more about Pati’s compelling story. She kindly agreed to answer questions which I submitted to her. They are presented below in English. By Janine Selendy, Chairman, President and Publisher of Horizon International
Q: How were you able to begin to realize Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda?
A: With a great team, my husband and my sons. As a family we have experienced incalculable richness from living the simple life and having lived directly with nature. We have learnt what is really important in life and the value of safeguarding nature, which is so sacred. We have raised awareness about looking after nature and got to know the region intimately, its social contexts and its territory. As an educator and with my experience of self-sufficiency, I was able to realize Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda. I have embarked on a spiritual path of service, with much faith, patience, action and work. I am constantly pushing the boundaries of what we can do to protect nature here and we haven’t reached the limit yet.
Q: What were some of the constraining factors you needed to overcome?
A: The absolute indifference of all the different actors in charge. They are only focused on making money and are stuck in a decadent and vacuous system of consumption, where no one believes that climate change is an urgent issue nor is ashamed of what our society has done to provoke it. Ignorance has created corrupt and obsolete practices within government institutions at all levels here in Mexico. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient financial resources, therefore, so that we may reverse damaging behaviour towards the environment, operate acts of conservation and forge a culture of sustainability in the region, we need a more stable economic income.
Q: This is a wonderful statement of purpose: “Founded in 1987, we are a grassroots organization with skilled communication and mediation on national and international levels, embarking on an educational process across sectors within the Reserve and across the country. We cultivate a sustainable culture with new values; diversify opportunities around the services provided by healthy ecosystems; form new skills to build an economy for conservation; organize and train community groups and accompany them in adopting the best practices and appropriation of the Reserve through civic participation; and strengthen rural social enterprise. Our experience is live, sustainable practices and groundbreaking initiatives that we are ready to share and replicate. The accumulated experience and lessons learned provide multiple solutions to poverty, climate change and biodiversity conservation.”
Please provide specific examples, especially with personalized accounts of people and their families’ involvement.
For example,
- diversifying opportunities around the services provided by healthy ecosystems
- forming new skills to build an economy for conservation
- organizing and training community groups
A: Over the last 25 years, our environmental education program has involved all regional actors within 170 schools, attended by 18,000 children.
We have been developing the Sierra Gorda as a tourist destination, which will provide an example of rural tourism within a Natural Protected Area, by improving the infrastructure and teaching new skills for tourism operation at 82 eco-sites.
The Payment for Ecosystem Services program covers 4000 hectares and directly benefits 300 people.
The Soil Regeneration program promotes better agricultural practices to 115 farmers.
We support female volunteers operate 113 recycling centers within the rural communities in the region.
Q: What are some examples of incidences when the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda accompanies “them in adopting the best practices and appropriation of the Reserve through civic participation.”
A: The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is the only region in Mexico that was decreed a Natural Protected Area, in 1997, thanks to grassroots lobbying, after 10 years of working in the communities.
Every year, we organize 35,000 local inhabitants in various activities, including, community cleanups, community environmental education, productive diversification, regenerative soil management and forest conservation, through our team of promoters in the field. Our promoters carry out thousands of small actions that remove pressure from and restore the Sierra Gorda’s natural resources.
Q: How does the organization work to strengthen rural social enterprise?
A: We have worked to give economic value to ecosystem services by grounding the Kyoto protocols to the local context. Today, we advocated a State-level offsetting mechanism to be established by the Querétaro State Government in which they offset the emissions of their vehicle fleet in the Sierra Gorda. These resources reach forest owners who are living in extreme poverty. Each year, they receive a total of 34 million Mexican Pesos. We developed this mechanism so that these forest owners would restore and conserve their land. Furthermore, this mechanism has generated human development, social and economic opportunities.
One of GESG’s sister organizations, Sierra Gorda Products and Services S.A. supports 65 micro tourism providers in all aspects of the production chain: product design, technical and administrative training, commercialization and skill-building. Through this organization, we have also been strengthening skills of the tourism providers in the region, giving an economic value to the scenic beauty, bringing together micro-operators who are living in extreme poverty but who are owners of valuable biodiversity.
Q: Your website says,” The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is the only protected area with an Alliance of civil organizations to achieve grassroots participatory management.” Is this true just for Mexico or for other parts of the world as well?
A: I only know that in Mexico we are the only federally protected area that came about in this way, I’m afraid I don’t know if this is true for other parts of the world.
Q: Pati, you and your family have achieved remarkable results with your dedication and ability to effectively communicate and work with local communities. What are some of the primary lessons you would like to share with others throughout the world who might be inspired by your example to try to undertake a project that would encompass some of the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda’s goals?
A: My recommendation for those who really want to take the greater good path, is that they commit themselves to being custodians of the earth by being innovative. We cannot follow the same old patterns: we need to think from the heart; be entrepreneurs driven by love and generosity; look to transcend limits through our work; search for interior growth through spiritual virtue; look for results that are more than just economic but more intangible values such as human development; change conventional paradigms in order to prepare society for the tremendous changes to come; and promote a deep feeling of fraternity among all living things so that we all take care of nature. If that is their intention, I believe that they should promote healthier environments than those that rule the modern world; it’s a question of transcendent social entrepreneurship.
Q: You have a wonderful way of adding song to your presentations. Do you use music in your community outreach?
A: Always. Music touches emotions, awakens forgotten capacities in our hearts, builds bridges, harmonizes, raises a wave of optimism and fights for what we love. Furthermore, as a music teacher, singing has always been my instrument of work.
About Champions of the Earth
Champions of the Earth, which was launched in 2005, is the UN’s flagship environmental award. To date, it has recognized 59 individuals and organizations for their leadership, vision, inspiration and action on the environment. The list of previous Champions laureates include Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Chinese actress and environmental advocate Zhou Xun, the Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) and global music legend Angélique Kidjo. Visit http://www.unep.org/champions/ for more details.
