Mexico city, Mexico
City population:
Duration: unknown – ongoing
Implementation status: Ongoing
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Project area: 2370000000 m2
Type of area: Protected Area, Natural Heritage Area/Untouched nature
Last updated: October 2021

The Water Forest region covering around 250,000 hectares in the hinterland of Mexico City provides 70% of the city's urban water demand through the aquifers located below the forest. It consists of forest fragments and grasslands, encompasses four mountain ranges, and two adjacent Mexican states – Morelos and Mexico State with national parks (2). However, as native grasses are replaced by human settlements and poorly sited tree-planting projects, water available to recharge the aquifers declines and their loss contributes to flooding in densely populated urban areas downstream (1, 2). The Water Forest Initiative initiated by a non-governmental NGO aims to develop and implement "a regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos through the protection and rehabilitation of the Water Forest Area" (1 p6).

Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Parks and urban forests
  • Large urban parks or forests
  • Green areas for water management
  • Other

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Climate change mitigation
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Habitat and biodiversity conservation
  • Environmental quality
  • Waste management
  • Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
  • Effective management
  • Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
  • Environmental education
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: agriculture
  • Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
  • Preservation of natural heritage
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
  • Preservation of historic traditions

Focus

Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Strategy, plan or policy development

Project objectives

- Development and implementation of a comprehensive regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to the megalopolis area of Mexico City including Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos (1) - Identification of "common objectives that encourage participation, integration, and coordination and strengthen water resilience for the megalopolitan region" (1) - Restoration the biological richness and ecosystem services to the levels recorded in 1950 (1) - Raise awareness of the essential natural and cultural heritage value of the area along with its role in water conservation (1) - Establish the participatory and comprehensive management of the area including all involved stakeholders (1) - Restoration and Protection of its resources its inhabitants and its biological diversity (1) - Insurance of the area's ecosystem services and thus its contribution to Mexico City's water supply (1)

Implementation activities

- Preparation of the Water Forest strategy including a vision and mission statement for 2030 (1) - Re-plantation of grasslands (1) - Biodigesters for local waste treatment (1) - Changing to sustainable agricultural practices to reduce pesticide use and to facilitate water infiltration for aquifer recharge (1) - Research projects connected to water and forest management, monitoring and evaluation (1) - Implementation of land management demonstration projects (1) - Federal level policy initiatives (1) - Environmental education activities to raise awareness about the NBS and reconnect people to nature (1) - Network building and coalition development in support of the initiative (1)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
  • Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)

Climate change mitigation:

  • Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity conservation:

  • Protect and enhance urban habitats
  • Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
  • Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
  • Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
  • Means for conservation governance
  • Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
  • Raise public awareness
  • Public engagement
  • Protect and apply traditional knowledge and conservation practices

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Public engagement

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
  • Non-government organisation/Civil Society
  • Private sector/Corporate/Company
  • Researchers/University
  • Citizens or community groups

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Non-government organisation/civil society
  • Citizens or community group

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
  • Dissemination of information and education
  • Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
  • Co-management/Joint management
  • Citizen science

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

In 2011, a non-profit organisation called Fundación Biosfera del Anáhuac (FUNBA) was created for the protection of the Water Forest (1). In 2013, when resources were lacking, the Water Forest initiative was integrated into the work of the non-profit organisation, Conservation International Mexico. The initiative is currently "managed as a project within an NGO (Conservation International Mexico) but is driven by a committed individual who collaborates with a wide range of people and organisations. There are 115 formal supporters and some of them take on leadership roles within the initiative." (1 p12). The initiative has also been incorporated into the local CDMX Resilience strategy (1).

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? No
... a national policy or strategy? No
... a local policy or strategy? No

Financing

Total cost

€100,000 - €500,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
  • Private Foundation/Trust
  • Other

Type of funding

  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
  • Unknown

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Lowered local temperature
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Reduced risk of damages by drought
  • Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
  • Green space and habitat
  • Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss

Economic impacts

  • Unknown

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Improved liveability
  • Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Improvement in people’s connection to nature
  • Protection of natural heritage
  • Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
  • Preserved spiritual and religious values
  • Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
  • Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
  • Education
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

No evidence in public records

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1) Astbury, J. (2018). NATURVATION - Case Study Working Paper: Mexcio City, Mexico
2) MacDonald, C. (2018). Mexico City dwellers shoulder future of their urban ‘Water Forest’. Mangabay, Accessed On 28th March 2021, Source link
3) Conservation International. (2018). Mexico. Accessed on 28th March 2021, Source link
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/