Mexico–Texas Seminar Advances Carbon Credit Standards

More than 100 ranchers, farmers, and landowners from northeastern Mexico and Texas gathered at Hacienda Yturria Ranch for a Binational Landowners Seminar focused on the development of high-integrity carbon credits. The seminar, organized by Earth Carbon, aimed to promote carbon credit generation through responsible agricultural and livestock land management across the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, and Coahuila, as well as Texas.

According to organizers, collaboration between landowners and carbon-market experts is essential to establishing the technical, scientific, and market conditions required for environmentally credible, nature-based carbon credits. They emphasized that carbon credits present the agricultural sector with a tangible opportunity to address climate change while maintaining productivity and creating new revenue streams for producers.

Marcela Ronquillo, founder and CEO, Earth Carbon, said the sector is at a pivotal moment. “Today the countryside has the opportunity to generate real environmental benefits while also creating sustainable income for producers,” she said. Ronquillo added that traditional land management practices can be transformed into measurable environmental assets with quantifiable climate impact.

International experts in carbon markets and climate science delivered presentations on the requirements for measuring, reporting, and verifying carbon projects under transparent standards. Speakers included Jim Blackburn, founder, BCarbon and president of the SSPEED Center, Rice University; Eric Unverzagt, CEO, BCarbon; Christopher Ordóñez, program manager for nature-based solutions, SSPEED Center; and James Clement, senior vice president, Earth Optics and land resource manager, King Ranch.

Presentations focused on carbon science, registry integrity and Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems, which are critical to ensuring the credibility and market acceptance of carbon credits.

Leaders from Mexico’s agricultural and livestock sectors also participated, including Homero García de la Llata, president, National Confederation of Livestock Organizations; José Guerrero Gamboa, president, Tamaulipas Regional Livestock Union; Rolando Peña Hinojosa, president, National Association of Diversified Ranchers and Wildlife Breeders; Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa, former Tamaulipas Minister of Agriculture; and José Francisco Martínez Plasencia, director, Nuevo Leon’s State Council for Flora and Wildlife.

Participants agreed that northeastern Mexico has strong potential to integrate into international carbon markets due to the scale of its agricultural land base and the opportunity to strengthen sustainable land management practices. Rogelio García Moreno, president of the Matamoros Agricultural Association, said Mexico holds significant potential in carbon markets but stressed the need for clear regulatory frameworks and stronger coordination between federal and state authorities to provide certainty for producers.

According to Marco Hernández, CEO and co-founder, Carbonof, Mexico has proven its ability to generate internationally recognized carbon credits without relying on government subsidies or philanthropic funding. “The number of projects in Mexico has steadily increased, raising overall quality standards and delivering positive results,” he said, noting that more than 300 projects are currently operational or under development and are performing competitively in international markets.

Hernández added that Mexican carbon credit projects offer several competitive advantages compared to similar initiatives abroad. “Mexico benefits from stronger infrastructure, better connectivity, and a highly skilled workforce,” he said. “As a result, projects can meet the same quality standards as those in the United States or Europe, but at a more competitive cost.”