Taking advantage of project funds, and the existence of two government schemes to support sustainable management and protection:

i) Private Protection Areas (APC, for its acronym in Spanish), and

ii) Environmental Management Units (UMA, for its acronym in Spanish).

In Veracruz, the APCs represent a scheme of voluntary conservation, in which the local population joins the efforts of the state to strengthen the protected natural spaces of the region. At the APC "El Pajaro", INECC together with the local grassroots organizations initiated a series of actions to manage 25 ha of mangroves. The strategy involved participatory work with the people of the communities to increase awareness of what it means to have a healthy mangrove, and continued with capacity development activities on how to manage it.

The management plans for the UMA of the mangrove ecosystem owned by the Tarachi ejido (local government unit) included the provision of equipment and infrastructure, and training to carry out the following activities:

i) reforestation with native species;

ii) establishment of a conservation protocol and standards to be followed by local communities; iii) establishment of guidance on economic activities that could be developed without affecting the ecosystem.

By making an alliance with a local civil association with a permanent presence in the area, INECC was able to better focus human and economic resources on the reforestation of 25 hectares of mangroves and the 3km clearing of channels for the restitution of the water flows of the wetland.

Mangrove reforestation was carried out using the "chinampas" technique (1 x 1m floating mud mounds) which served as a platform for the optimum growth of mangrove seedlings.

This technique, previously used in other neighboring areas, includes an ecological monitoring phase as well as geo-referenced photographic monitoring points to identify the evolution of the monthly growth of the seedlings in each of the almost six thousand established chinampas.

In addition, the direct participation of the communities in the activities provided empirical knowledge about the particularities of the land, and essential labor to dig open, by hand, the channels. The combination of technical and empirical knowledge has created evidence for the ecological modification of the landscape: the establishment of the chinampas has elevated the topography of the site, and the hydrological flows have brought nutrients and oxygen, creating ecological niches that the species occupy to restore the trophic chain.

In order to promote an operational connectivity between the diverse upriver and downriver sub-basins (zones) of a river basin, including both ecosystems and productive activities, water was chosen as the conductive element; the element to bring the zones and stakeholders together. Modelling of the surface water supply and sediment retention in different zones permitted the identification of provider-recipient-accumulation relationships. Through this, the dynamics between demand for hydrological services (e.g. populations, tourist zones) and those that produce them (mountainous zones with forest cover) could be identified and connected. Based hereon, the different stakeholders were brought together to learn about and exchange on key information on zonal levels of production and services available. This in turn led to the identification of what should be done where and by whom.

To create and develop PAMIC, diverse government entities belonging to the environment sector joined forces to design a cutting edge and innovative project: the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) coordinated the construction of the PAMIC plans; The National Comission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) consolidated the management and operation of the project within the Protected Natural Areas (ANP); and the National Forestry Comission (CONAFOR) implemented Payments for Environmental Services schemes from the biodiversity fund. The Mexican Nature Conservation Fund (FMSN) contributed its experience in the management of financing schemes. All in all, this created two further funds to stimulate activities and impacts. Moreover, the inter-institutional coordination included i) a Technical Project Committee that supervised and directed the operation of C6; ii) a Unit Project Coordinator and iii) two Regional Project Units, which were responsible for the daily coordination of technical and logistical issues. Such a design has been an essential aspect that generated major advances in land use planning for collective benefits.

INECC established a multi-actor alliance with public as well as private institutions at different governance levels, from federal to local. It was this alliance that could facilitate the effective functioning of the four other building blocks of this solution, especially through institutional support for capacity development and follow-up from experienced organizations.

Examples of this capacity development from alliance members include:

• Literacy support for the communities – the National Institute for Adult Education (INEA), Tabasco
• Donation of cement and bottles – Arji College, Tabasco
• Construction of raised kitchen gardens for schools and palafitos – Centro de Información y Comunicación Ambiental de América del Norte (CICEANA)
• Preparation of didactic materials – Centro de Educación y Capacitación para el Desarrollo Sustentable (CECADESU)
• Design of risk maps and zonal plans focused on climate change - Universities and authorities of Tabasco

The reduction of vulnerabilities and the strengthening of adaptive capacities in the SLCPM also involved strengthening the communities’ collective management and reduction of disaster risks, from illnesses to flooding.  For example, faced with faltering access to potable water, and the consequent risks of skin and gastro-intestinal diseases, community investments in infrastructure and health were made. These included a) the installation of rainwater capture systems as well as water purification and bottling equipment; the creation of a community social enterprise “Drops of Love” (“Gotitas de Amor”) through which potable water is produced and provided to the primary school and nursery, and sold on to increase potable water supply to families in the community.

In addition, flood risks to property and belongings were managed and reduced through a collective initiative that included not only the construction of palofitos (roofed platforms on stilts) but also the creation of emergency plans and their promotion through the establishment of a civil protection committee.

The adoption of a gender equality focus in the project provided an opportunity to take into account the perceptions and concerns of women. In women-only workshops, their social vulnerability in the form of family violence, crime and drug addiction, was recognised. Moreover, the workshops made evident their desire to participate in project activities that would mean an improvement in the quality of life for their families. Their resulting participation was manifold. For example, in order to secure access to potable water, the women´s group from the community of Las Coloradas got capacitated in the technology needed for the operation of rainwater capture systems as well as water purification equipment. Additionally, the women created the social enterprise “Drops of Love” by which they could provide potable water to the primary school and nursery, whilst selling the remaining water to families in the community.

By way of a further example, after women from the community of El Mingo got themselves capacitated in construction and eco-tech, they formed the group “The Breeze of El Mingo” so that they could take part in the construction of palafitos to protect, in times of disaster, goods and property belonging to the 80 families in the community.

Making the most of project funds, INECC, together with local NGOs, have initiated activities for the reforestation and maintenance of mangroves. The strategy involved working with the communities to further develop awareness on the significance of a healthy mangrove for their livelihoods. In addition, workshops with children, women and men were organized to provide them with a voice in decision making regarding the mangrove activities. In this way, the community members took on ownership of these activities, seeing them as a benefit for their productive activities as well as for the general wellbeing of their families. In the end, it were the community members who decided where to reforest and with what local species. Despite the reforestation not succeeding due to technical, seasonal and administrative issues that meant that the a large part of seedlings did not survive, the community activity was key in generating confidence in INECC. This stimulated the social capital to support other social processes, intended in the wider project, such as the building of "palafitos", the rainwater capture system, etc.

INECC recognises that adaptation should be “with the people, for the people”. It has been vital to incentivise community participation within the zone in order to achieve any action aimed at restoring, managing and conserving local mangroves. With the support of local organizations, INECC has created, for local communities, spaces for social learning, interaction and communication. These spaces have facilitated the dissemination of information about the important role of ecosystems in local livelihoods; awareness raising about threats to the socio-ecological systems in which the communities thrive; and capacity development on how to manage resources sustainably as well as how to commercialise ecosystem services. The constant and consistent work of local organizations with communities has created a sense of belonging towards their ecosystem and a responsibility for the decisions and actions for its care.

Backstrap loom weaving with dyed ram's wool with natural inputs was a traditional activity in the community since ancestral times. However, its products were not adequately valued and their quality could not compete with other similar products made with synthetic wool. Through this measure, knowledge was recovered about the plants used for this purpose and the processing methods, and how to make these inputs available through the production of these plants. This activity made it possible to increase the production of dye plants in bio-gardens and to value them as an input for handicraft fabrics. In addition, the community members were trained in weaving and dyeing techniques for their handicraft production, which improved the finishes and quality of the final products. The dyeing of ram's wool with plants allows for a diversity of color tones in a natural way and with local inputs. By improving the quality of the finishes and the manufacture of their weavings, they increased their income, since the sale of their weavings constitutes the family's petty cash, allowing them to cover their daily expenses, in a context in which income from their agricultural activities is increasingly fluctuating.