UN Mexico Advances COBIOCOM Ecosystem Plan

Mexico is advancing the territorial rollout of the COBIOCOM Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Livelihoods Project, financed by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the FAO, targeting ecosystem restoration, sustainable land management, and CO₂ mitigation across 9.2 million hectares in eight states. The initiative carries growing weight for Mexico’s regulatory and investment landscape, supporting national biodiversity goals and 30x30 commitments while introducing decentralized environmental governance, environmental traceability, and innovative financing mechanisms.

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The United Nations in Mexico announced that the Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Livelihoods Project in the Central-Occident Biocultural Corridor (COBIOCOM) has entered its territorial implementation phase. The announcement followed the signing of new technical agreements and the definition of strategic priorities for field execution.

The initiative is being led by the states of Aguascalientes, Colima, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas, which together comprise the COBIOCOM region. The corridor spans 15 million hectares, of which 36% has been identified as a conservation priority. The region faces mounting environmental pressure and water stress, challenges that authorities say require coordinated, interstate action.

The program will cover 9.2 million hectares, equivalent to 61% of the corridor’s territory. Targets include restoring 150,000 hectares of ecosystems, promoting sustainable management practices across 120,000 hectares and placing 30,000 hectares under voluntary conservation schemes. The initiative also aims to mitigate 8.5 million tons of CO₂ over its lifetime.

The project adopts an integrated landscape management approach that links biodiversity protection, productive activities and community well-being. Under this framework, ecological restoration efforts are aligned with strategic value chains, including avocado and agave production. The model incorporates environmental traceability, innovative financing mechanisms and nature-based solutions.

The initiative is expected to directly benefit 150,000 people, including members of Indigenous communities such as the Wixárika, Otomí, Purépecha and Nahua. Project leaders say the program is designed to strengthen sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience in a region considered critical to Mexico’s ecological balance.

The project is financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. The State Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development of Colima (IMADES) serves as the executing entity. According to organizers, this marks the first GEF-funded initiative in Mexico implemented by a subnational institution, signaling a shift toward decentralized environmental governance with territorial impact.

Progress milestones were reviewed during sessions of the Steering Committee, the Operational Technical Group and the project’s kickoff workshop held in Aguascalientes. Participants reinforced the interstate governance model designed to translate environmental targets into operational measures. Organizers said these forums are essential to ensuring policy coherence, cross-sector coordination between environmental and productive agencies, and rigorous regional-scale technical monitoring.

Beyond aligning with Mexico’s National Biodiversity Strategy, COBIOCOM also supports the country’s Target 3 commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for conserving 30% of terrestrial, marine-coastal and freshwater areas by 2030. To advance this goal, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) launched the “MEx30x30” initiative, which seeks to preserve ecological functions and services, improve management effectiveness, strengthen ecological connectivity and enhance representativeness across Mexico’s landscapes. The initiative also aims to promote inclusive and equitable environmental governance. Like COBIOCOM, MEx30x30 is supported by funding from GEF and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The 30x30 target is structured around three pillars:

• Ensuring effective management and financial sustainability of existing Natural Protected Areas (NPAs), while guiding the creation of new areas based on principles of connectivity, representativeness and inclusion.

• Recognizing, registering, evaluating, monitoring and reporting Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), which acknowledge biodiversity-positive management practices beyond formal NPAs, including areas governed for cultural, spiritual or socioeconomic purposes.

• Strengthening intersectoral collaboration across NPA and OECM development initiatives.

Carlos Rodríguez, CEO, GEF, emphasized the importance of the fund’s work in achieving Mexico’s ambitious conservation and sustainable development aims. “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 said.

In addition to the MEx30x30 initiative, GEF is co-financing the Food Systems, Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity project, which aims to strengthen Indigenous food systems in globally significant biodiversity areas across Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Sonora, Durango and Nayarit. The initiative seeks to enhance, scale and replicate integrated landscape approaches aligned with the beliefs, knowledge and traditional practices of Indigenous communities.