Meeting with ejido members at La Azteca
IUCN @ Paul Aragón
Strengthening governance for adaptation
Ejido producers from Alpujarras
IUCN @ Paul Aragón
Ejido members La Azteca
IUCN @ Paul Aragón
Within Chiapas rural governance structures, the ejido Assembly is the main social platform where participatory decisions are made regarding natural resources. Ejido land tenure in Mexico is an example of individual and communal tenure co-existing within communities. Communal lands are titled in the name of the community leaders. Ejido Azteca and Alpujaras are partly witin the Tacana Volcano Reserve.
With a view to increasing the ejidos adaptive and management capacity main actions undertaken under this solution were:
- Training on climate change legal and policy frameworks was delivered to ejido leaders and municipalities officers.
- Development of the Local Strategy for Sustainable Development under Climate Change of La Azteca ejido.
- Conformation of ejido's Water Committees.
- Public presentations on events such as the VII National Congress on Climate Change Research. Leaders shared the benefit of soil conservation practices and forest protection to water security.
- The communities living within the river basin -organized through the ejido assemblies- are strong advocates for the sustainable use of resources/conservation for improving water and food security and ecosystem-based adapation.
- Technical knowledge and leadership skills are important to inspire the rest of the community and ensure decision making for communal lands in the Assembly with a view of building up resilience.
- With the ejido Assembly making decisions regarding the use of common goods and ecosystem services, governance for adaptation is strengthened. However, there still lacks further organization of the ejido’s social capital and articulation with other organizations, civil associations and the municipality, in order to convert the problems faced by the owners and possessors of forest lands into opportunities.
- Governance must continue to be strengthened in order to give sustainability to EbA actions, so that their continuity is not dependent on external assistance.