Your offset is created by Bruno Soria Rangel near Pinal de Amoles in Mexico. Mr. Rangel and his family reforested a .52 hectacre plot 1994.
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How local people (and the environment) benefit
Some of the worst poverty in Mexico is in the Sierra Gorda Mountains. This project provides local farmers with additional income, preserves biodiversity including Jaguar habitat, and slows soil erosion..
What your money does
It goes to the nonprofit Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda (GESG). GESG and Bosque Sustentable, work with Mr. Rangel and other farmers to reforest degraded lands. These organizations teach forestry and enter into contracts that provide income to farmers to care for the growing forests.
Carbon Reduction and Independent Verification
When cleared land is reforested, the trees pull carbon from the atmosphere and hold it in the wood and soil. Mr. Rangel inspects the trees, which are also monitored by Bosque Sustentable. The project is monitored in accordance with small-scale reforestation rules under the Kyoto Protocol.
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Additional information
If something should happen to Mr. Rangel’s growing trees, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) reserves the right to replace the offsets from that land with offsets from a similar tract of land. GESG holds a 20% of the offsets created in reserve for this purpose.
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, where GESG and Bosque Sustentable (BS) focus their efforts, is known to be one of the most eco-diverse areas in Mexico due to its location within the transition zone between neo-tropical and arctic influences. High variability in both altitude (300-3100 meters above sea level) and precipitation have also lead to great diversity in habitat, which in turn reflects on its biodiversity, including 15 vegetation types; 2308 species of plant; 131 species of mammals; and 327 species of birds. The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve encompasses 383,567 ha.
Your purchase will pay GESG and Bruno Soria Rangel to reforest land previously converted to agricultural and livestock uses in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. By restoring degraded farmlands to native forest, these reforestations protect soil and water resources and provide habitat for native species. 0.52 ha of land will be reforested. Species grown are: Mexican Cypress (Cupressus lindleyi) and Patula Pine (Pinus patula). GESG sells only 80% of measured offsets.
How local people benefit
Many rural dwellers in Mexico are marginalized economically living in the Sierra Madre practicing traditional kinds of agricultural and livestock production that require forested hillsides to be cleared or used for grazing. This is contributing to a number of environmental problems in Mexico including deforestation, loss of biodiversity, flooding, soil erosion, lower rates of water infiltration and falling water tables along with water pollution. This project fights poverty by providing landowners with financial incentives equal to or better than average net income from agriculture (grazing or corn).
More about verification
The University of Monterrey is measuring the amount of carbon being stored in the various Sierra Gorda plantations while inventories are also underway of the various flora and fauna including jaguar in the reserve. Scientists at University of Queretaro are using data, in combination with information concerning land cover and soil type, to model improvements to hydrological processes throughout the Reserve resulting from reforestation and soil conservation measures. Grupo Ecologico Sierra Gorda has also undertaken a Social Return on Investment Analysis to assess the range of impacts of their programs on the communities in the Sierra Gorda. Sierra Gorda retires the offset in Live Climate’s name.
In addition to yearly inspections made by the landowner, detailed monitoring of the plantation sites is carried out by Bosque Sustentable, the local forestry operator. This monitoring follows the steps outlined in Márquez, 2000 (http://www.winrock.org/fnrm/files/fundacionsolar.pdf), in accordance with the small-scale reforestation rules under the Kyoto Protocol.
Links:
http://www.sierragorda.net/grupo/index~.htm
