Mexico Outlines New Biodiversity Finance Plan at COP30

Mexico outlined new measures to close its biodiversity finance gap by 2030 during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), presenting two strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening long-term conservation and climate resilience. The government highlighted the launch of the MEx30x30 and ACCION projects, both designed to support national commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Mexico’s updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0.

SEMARNAT and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) said the MEx30x30 initiative establishes the groundwork to conserve 30% of Mexico’s territory by 2030. In parallel, the ACCION project, implemented in coordination with Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan, will channel sustainable financing to 20 Natural Protected Areas and strengthen coastal community resilience in the Yucatan Peninsula. Both initiatives are supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and will be executed with the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN).

Pedro Álvarez-Icaza, Director, CONANP, said Mexico has taken steps to reduce its biodiversity funding gap. “With the recent approval of the budget of more than MX$500 million (US$27.2 million) for the protection of ANP in 2026, CONANP is making substantial efforts to close the financial gap toward the 2030 goal,” he said.

Kirstin Lang, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, GCF, highlighted the fund’s decade of work. “This proud trajectory has been built through investments in emblematic projects, such as ACCION. The initiative seeks to increase climate resilience of vulnerable communities, ecosystems and productive systems through locally led ecosystem-based adaptation interventions,” she said.

Carlos Rodríguez, CEO, GEF, emphasized the fund’s role in supporting Mexico’s commitments. “The project MEx30x30 will ensure a sustainable flow of income for protected areas across Mexico, with more than 70% of GEF funds dedicated to supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities,” he noted.

Mexico’s NDC 3.0 identifies biodiversity conservation and mobilization of climate finance as core priorities. Government officials said that closing the biodiversity finance gap is essential to preserve major carbon sinks and meet national mitigation targets.

These announcements at COP30 coincide with an ongoing national discussion about the role of natural protected areas. During a public lecture, titled A Brief History of Mexican Natural Protected Areas, Julia Carabias, Member, El Colegio Nacional, warned about accelerating biodiversity loss. “We will be losing 1 million ha by the end of the century if things stay as they are,” she said, citing the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Carabias noted declines reported in the Living Planet Report 2024, including a 73% drop in animal populations and up to 85% declines in freshwater species. “Eighty-five percent of species do not have enough area to guarantee their survival and there is no budget that is enough,” she added.

Carabias highlighted the global importance of protected areas, which cover 27.3 million km2 of terrestrial ecosystems and 36 million km2 of marine ecosystems. She said communities living near these areas often experience improved conditions and benefit from increased food and water security.

Emily Wakil, Environmental historian, emphasized the political roots of conservation in Mexico. She recalled that by 1940, Mexico had more national parks than any other country in the world. Wakil traced this legacy to President Lázaro Cárdenas, who viewed natural resources as national heritage rather than mere commercial assets.

She also referenced the ecological symbolism of Mexico’s national emblem. “An eagle with a snake on a cactus forms a community that helps make Mexico the fifth most biodiverse country on the planet. It is an invitation to conserve the ecological realities of the past,” she said.

Carabias concluded by warning against framing conservation and development as opposing objectives. She emphasized that protected areas should support local well-being. “The State must guarantee the welfare of landowners. Having a protected area cannot become a punishment. It is not the protected area that created poverty,” she stated.