As part of PAMIC, great consideration on the dynamics of landscape transformation is being made. There is an attempt to identify and conserve those elements that are key for ecosystem conservation, whether they are of natural or anthropic origin. In PAMIC´s philosophy, conservation does not mean maintaining pristine ecosystems. On the contrary, conservation includes restoring managed landscapes and using sustainable practices. This allows the maintenance of the whole socio-ecological system through a sustainable use of the land, as demonstrated by shade-grown coffee production, agro-silvo-pastoral and community forest management projects, which support both livelihoods and ecosystems. 

The aim of this building block was to promote diversification of families´income and their sources of food through the reforestation of riparian zones using fruit trees and other species of economic importance. People from participating communities were trained on nursing and looking after young plants. In particular, women´s groups were the ones who were trained to carry out delicate activities of caring for seedlings and planting them.

"Without a good water flow, no mangrove system can sustain itself" - said a local NGO field expert. Hence it is important not only to open channels to restore water flows, but also of keeping alive the dynamics of these flows in the long term. One of the activities that most affects wetlands is livestock. The farmers, seeking to provide firm ground for their cows, cover the channels and drain water bodies. In doing so, cattle farming has been affecting marshes and mangroves directly or indirectly. On way to reduce the impact of this activity is to combine the productive interests of the multiple farmers in the area, with the protection of water flows, by building three elevated bridges in piles for the passage of livestock in strategic sites. Also, "living fences" were established around the reforestation areas to keep the area safe. For these fences, plants and trees of economic use were used for the benefit of the communities.

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.

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.