Mexico Advances US$38 Million Balsas Basin Climate Plan

SEMARNAT, CONAFOR and IFAD are reviewing progress on the US$38.45 million Balsas Basin Project, a climate adaptation and mitigation initiative supported by the Green Climate Fund that has mobilized MX$1.7 billion to strengthen sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem restoration and territorial planning in vulnerable regions. The program aligns with Mexico’s 2025–2030 environmental strategy and coordinates federal agencies including SADER, SHCP and CONAGUA, increasing climate-related oversight and investment in forestry, agriculture and rural value chains. 

——–

Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) are conducting the third supervision mission of the Balsas Basin Project from March 2 to 13, reviewing progress on a US$38.45 million initiative launched in 2021 to reduce climate vulnerability and emissions through sustainable livelihoods.

The project, supported by IFAD and the Green Climate Fund, operates under the broader General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río Regional Program and has mobilized MX$1.7 billion (US$96.63 million) in investment to date, according to officials. The initiative targets communities in the Balsas River Basin — a region with a high presence of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican populations — and seeks to align climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration and social inclusion objectives.

Environment Minister Alicia Bárcena said the supervision mission would help strengthen priority strategies in historically marginalized territories.  “This mission will drive us to continue building strategies to address a historic debt in this region with some of the most marginalized communities in the country,” she said. 

She added that the program reflects the federal government’s commitment to conservation, restoration and responsible natural resource management, particularly for Indigenous peoples.

The project is structured around three components: participatory development of Micro-Watershed Ecological Management Plans (POEM) and Integrated Development Plans (PDI); investments in adaptive ecosystem management, productive systems and resilient value chains; and the creation of a climate information, knowledge management and South-South cooperation system, including monitoring and evaluation.

CONAFOR Director General Sergio Graf Montero said the objectives are aligned with the 2025–2030 Environment and Natural Resources Sector Program, contributing to ecosystem conservation, climate action and inequality reduction. He noted that strengthening local capacities and climate information systems enables government programs and community plans to integrate climate criteria into funding allocation and disaster risk management.

Lázaro Cárdenas Batel, head of the Presidential Office, said the project has been a priority since its launch with IFAD financing and has expanded with additional resources from the Green Climate Fund. He described it as a coordinated effort involving Semarnat, the ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development (SADER), Welfare and Finance (SHCP), the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and CONAFOR.

The supervision mission includes meetings at federal offices and field visits to ejidos and communities to assess physical and financial progress, compliance with previous agreements and the effectiveness of planning instruments guiding territorial investments. Results will feed into IFAD’s annual performance report to the Green Climate Fund, due in April 2026, and inform strategic planning for the following year.

Bárcena added that the initiative reflects a multisector approach aligned with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s development strategy, integrating environmental sustainability with social inclusion. “The Government of Mexico has a clear commitment to conservation, restoration and the responsible management of natural resources for the benefit of these communities, particularly Indigenous peoples,” she said. Bárcena concluded that the plan represents “an opportunity to build new development models,” integrating climate mitigation and adaptation with territorial development and interinstitutional coordination.

IFAD: Promoting Sustainable Rural Development in Mexico

In addition to the Balsa River Basin project, IFAD also backs the Agribiomex project, led by SADER, which aims to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable agriculture. The project seeks to curb deforestation linked to livestock farming and agricultural expansion. By the end of the project, sustainable farming practices are expected to be implemented on 900,000ha.

IFAD highlighted that the Balsas River Basin project is the first project by a Mexican federal entity to receive financing from the Green Climate Fund, while Agribiomex is the first project directly implemented by SADER with resources from the Global Environment Facility. Since its founding in 1977, IFAD has turned every dollar contributed by its 180 member states, including Mexico, into six dollars of on-the-ground investment, the entity underscored. 

Since 1980, IFAD’s partnership with Mexico has led to the implementation of 12 rural development projects, with total investments of US$500 million, including its own financing and that of other institutions. These projects have supported job creation, income generation, and community empowerment.