1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Mexico City
Region
Latin America and the Caribbean
Short description of the intervention
The Water Forest region covering around 250,000 hectares in the hinterland of Mexico City provides 70% of the city's urban water demand through the aquifers located below the forest. It consists of forest fragments and grasslands, encompasses four mountain ranges, and two adjacent Mexican states – Morelos and Mexico State with national parks (2). However, as native grasses are replaced by human settlements and poorly sited tree-planting projects, water available to recharge the aquifers declines and their loss contributes to flooding in densely populated urban areas downstream (1, 2). The Water Forest Initiative initiated by a non-governmental NGO aims to develop and implement "a regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos through the protection and rehabilitation of the Water Forest Area" (1 p6).
Address

Mexico city
Mexico

Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Total area
2370000000.00m²
NBS area
2370000000.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Protected Area
Natural Heritage Area/Untouched nature
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2011
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
unknown
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Goals of the intervention
- Development and implementation of a comprehensive regional conservation strategy to provide water and other ecosystem services to the megalopolis area of Mexico City including Mexico City (CDMX), Mexico State, and Morelos (1)
- Identification of "common objectives that encourage participation, integration, and coordination and strengthen water resilience for the megalopolitan region" (1)
- Restoration the biological richness and ecosystem services to the levels recorded in 1950 (1)
- Raise awareness of the essential natural and cultural heritage value of the area along with its role in water conservation (1)
- Establish the participatory and comprehensive management of the area including all involved stakeholders (1)
- Restoration and Protection of its resources its inhabitants and its biological diversity (1)
- Insurance of the area's ecosystem services and thus its contribution to Mexico City's water supply (1)
Quantitative targets
Unknown
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Climate change mitigation
Water management (SDG 6)
Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
Improvements to water quality
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity restoration
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Environmental quality
Waste management
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Effective management
Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
Environmental education
Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
Economic development: agriculture
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Preservation of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
Preservation of historic traditions
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities
Build resilience
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)
Climate change mitigation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Sequester and store carbon
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase green urban nature for carbon storage (wetlands, tree cover)
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
Promote environmentally-sound development in and around protected areas
Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
Means for conservation governance
Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
Raise public awareness
Public engagement
Protect and apply traditional knowledge and conservation practices
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Public engagement
Implementation activities
- Preparation of the Water Forest strategy including a vision and mission statement for 2030 (1)
- Re-plantation of grasslands (1)
- Biodigesters for local waste treatment (1)
- Changing to sustainable agricultural practices to reduce pesticide use and to facilitate water infiltration for aquifer recharge (1)
- Research projects connected to water and forest management, monitoring and evaluation (1)
- Implementation of land management demonstration projects (1)
- Federal level policy initiatives (1)
- Environmental education activities to raise awareness about the NBS and reconnect people to nature (1)
- Network building and coalition development in support of the initiative (1)
Type of NBS project
Ecological restoration of ecosystems
Protection of natural ecosystems
Knowledge creation and awareness raising
Strategy, plan or policy development
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Green areas for water management
Other
Please specify "other blue area"
ground water aquifers
Please specify "other green areas for water management"
The forest is located in the hinterland of the city over a groundwater aquifer playing a crucial role in the city's water supply
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Medium / High: sustainable urban drainage systems which include water storage and diverts water flooding
Vegetation Type
Grass
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Provisioning services
Water (surface and ground water for drinking and non-drinking purposes)
Regulating services
Flood regulation
Water purification / filtration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Spiritual and / or emblematic (symbolic, sacred and / or religious)
Scale
Spatial scale
Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-government organisation/Civil Society
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Researchers/University
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Non-government actors
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
In 2011, a non-profit organisation called Fundación Biosfera del Anáhuac (FUNBA) was created for the protection of the Water Forest (1). In 2013, when resources were lacking, the Water Forest initiative was integrated into the work of the non-profit organisation, Conservation International Mexico. The initiative is currently "managed as a project within an NGO (Conservation International Mexico) but is driven by a committed individual who collaborates with a wide range of people and organisations. There are 115 formal supporters and some of them take on leadership roles within the initiative." (1 p12). The initiative has also been incorporated into the local CDMX Resilience strategy (1).
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Other
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Regional government
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Business association or network
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Researchers/university
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Other
Please specify other land owner
indigenous communities and ejidos communally own part of the land.
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Co-management/Joint management
Citizen science
Please specify other landowner
indigenous communities and ejidos communally own part of the land.
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
No
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
A 2030 Water Agenda adopted by the previous administration served as a backbone for the Water Forest strategy. (1)
After the development of the Water Forest Initiative, it was incorporated into the local government's CDMX Resilience Strategy (1)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific climate change policy or plan
Water regulation strategy
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Please specify other vegetation type
Forest ecosystem
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Several research project has been carried out as part of the NBS, however, no information has been found on the specific focus of these research projects (ed.)
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The City of Mexico has a Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program that a focus is solely on the protection of forests. While the Water Forest initiative has received financial support from many supporters, supplements from the PES are also needed for the long term success of the initiative. (1)
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-financing governance arrangements
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
An NGO
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Set up specifically for this NBS
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
According to a study by Mexico’s National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) estimated the replacement cost of water from the Water Forest to supply the current demand at US$30 billion (1). Water from forest fed aquifers is considered to be more cost-effective and efficient (3).
Please specify total cost (EUR)
As of 2018, approximately 465,000 EUR has been invested in the initiative by various donors among others Fundación Gonzalo Rio Arronte, Conservation International Mexico and others (1).
Source(s) of funding
Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Private Foundation/Trust
Other
Please specify other source of funding
While it is suggested that there has been financial support from other resources, there is no specific indication of these actors (ed.)
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Unknown
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Risk reduction model
Local stewardship model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Citizens / local communities
Type of innovation
Social
Governance innovation
Please specify social innovation
The Water Forest initiative has primarily a governance innovation as it operates on the megalopolis level. The program's governance approach recognizes the regional importance and scale of the ecosystem in question and accordingly works with a diverse set of stakeholders from all sectors including indigenous community groups playing an essential role in the environmental stewardship of the area, governmental authorities, private sectors actors and organisations from the non-profit sector (1)
"It is also a social innovation in that it redefines the role of land as producer of water (a Water Forest), re-purposing nature rather than developing new technologies. By bringing nature into the realm of vital urban infrastructure, it is re-naturalizing the city and is working to engage society as a whole with this new narrative" (1 p21).
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Enhanced carbon sequestration
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Water management and blue areas
Improved water quality
Reduced risk of damages by drought
Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Reduced biodiversity loss
Description of environmental benefits
The strategy has been drawn up to the period 2012-2030, therefore, there is not many recorded environmental impact. However, the project is expected to keep securing the Water Forest's capacity to provide 75% of water for the megalopolis area of Mexico City (1)
- With the restoration and protection of the Water Forest area, other ecosystem services of the area will be also enhanced such as its carbon capture, air filtering, temperature mitigation capacity as well as the biodiversity of endemic and protected species and food production (1)
Achieved impacts:
- Re-pasteurization of grasslands important to water filtration into watersheds and aquifers (1)
- With the installation of biodigesters, the water and soil contamination in the area has been reduced (1)
- With systemic monitoring set up, there is a regular reporting on the forest and indigenous community activities, however, no summary analysis has been published on the quality and quantity of water supply (1)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved social cohesion
Improved liveability
Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Improvement in people’s connection to nature
Protection of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Preserved spiritual and religious values
Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
Increased awareness of flora and fauna as culturally and historically meaningful
Education
Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
Description of social and cultural benefits
- "the Water Forest initiative has worked with communities to implement dry toilets and biodigesters that protect the local ecosystem, generally reduce costs and increase self-sufficiency for underserved communities" (1 p18)
- With the involvement of indigenous and local communities in the strategy design and activity implementation period, their knowledge and role in the stewardship of the area has been valued and harvested (1)
- With the support of the initiative, land management has improved in several Water Forest communities (1)
- Through awareness-raising campaigns such as media pieces, blog posts, video content and volunteering opportunities, Mexico City dwellers' knowledge and attachment to local nature is expected to increase (1)
- With training and development workshops on the propagation of pastures the environmental knowledge and capacity of local communities has increased to better address climate mitigation (1)
- Since the beginning of the project, a wide professional network has been built up connecting stakeholders from different sectors to ensure the effective governance and widespread success of the project (1)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
Voluntary work opportunities
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
List of references
1) Astbury, J. (2018). NATURVATION - Case Study Working Paper: Mexcio City, Mexico
2) MacDonald, C. (2018). Mexico City dwellers shoulder future of their urban ‘Water Forest’. Mangabay, Accessed On 28th March 2021, https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
3) Conservation International. (2018). Mexico. Accessed on 28th March 2021, https://www.conservation.org/places/mexico
Comments and notes
Public Images
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/
Water Forest Mexico
Source: https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/mexico-city-dwellers-shoulder-future-of-their-urban-water-forest/