Mexico Showcases Trinational Maya Forest Plan at COP30

During the second week of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, Mexico’s Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Alicia Bárcena outlined its trinational conservation initiative, the Biocultural Corridor of the Greater Maya Forest (CBGSM), one of the world’s largest remaining tropical ecosystems. The initiative, signed by Mexico, Guatemala and Belize in August, seeks to safeguard 5.7 million hectares of forest while placing Indigenous and local communities at the center of long-term conservation and financing strategies.

The Maya Forest contains more than 7,000 species and represents an estimated 12% of global biodiversity, located at the ecological intersection of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The forest is also home to 57 recognized native maize varieties. 

According to Bárcena, communities with historical and cultural ties to the forest will lead the preservation of CBGSM’s vast genetic diversity. She identified traditional knowledge, community-based governance and locally driven ecological management as essential components of the strategy. “We are not the ones who will solve the problem of the Maya Forest. It is the people who live there,” she said. 

In order to support local communities with project implementation, the initiative prioritizes direct economic support for communities through payment-for-environmental-services programs. Bárcena said such compensation is necessary for the long-term protection of the forest. “We cannot ask communities to protect the forest without remuneration,” she said. Funding would support conservation, fire prevention, agroecological practices such as milpa systems and community forestry.

Bárcena said donor interest in financing the CBGSM initiative is strong, adding that the main challenge will be aligning political will and operational coordination across the three countries. “Financing will not be the problem,” she said. “What matters is joining efforts and having communities on our side.” To ensure local buy-in, she noted that the agreement will stipulate Free, Prior and Informed Consent on the part of affected Indigenous and local communities for all tourism, agricultural or commercial projects being carried out in the region.

The Environment Minister closed by recognizing regional officials, legislators and environmental leaders who have contributed to advancing the initiative. She also credited collaboration between Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo and Belizean President Johnny Briceño as a historic milestone for regional environmental governance.  “Among our three countries, there are no walls. There is a corridor of nature and biodiversity.”

Mexico Introduces Updated Climate Commitment at COP30

Following the announcement of the Maya Forest initiative, Mexico also presented its updated Nationally Determined Contribution, known as NDC 3.0, during the high-level segment of COP30. The plan outlines higher emissions-reduction targets, a strengthened adaptation framework and, for the first time, a formal component addressing loss and damage.

Bárcena described the conference as a turning point for climate action and said the human impacts of loss and damage must be incorporated into decision-making. “What we call losses and damages are not numbers: they are girls, boys and families who lose everything in minutes,” she said. She noted that climate vulnerability is increasing faster than countries’ capacity to respond, making it necessary to formally integrate loss and damage into national policy.

Under NDC 3.0, Mexico establishes absolute mitigation targets that place national emissions at 364–404 million metric tons of CO₂ equivalent by 2035 under the unconditional scenario, and 332–363 million metric tons under the conditional scenario. The plan includes a roadmap for a just energy and social transition aligned with the government’s Plan México, which prioritizes circular-economy measures, conservation of 30% of national territory by 2030, and the restoration of strategic ecosystems.

Bárcena stressed that the NDC was built through a broad national consultation involving communities, youth, women, academia, the private sector, Indigenous groups and civil society. “Legitimacy is born from collective listening,” she said, highlighting commitments to human rights, equality and the Escazú Agreement.

She also called on the international community to strengthen cooperation and financing mechanisms to support developing countries. Bárcena said climate commitments must translate into tangible mechanisms for funding and technology transfer. “We need real climate financing; cooperation without impositions; shared responsibility, not empty gestures,” she said.