A programme that aims to halt the net loss of biodiversity by 2030 in Mexico, while developing nature markets including biodiversity credits with regional governments, has been announced in an alliance between French and Mexican companies.
The NetPositive 2030 programme, focused on biodiversity, carbon, and water, will be supported by a partnership between France-based biodiversity credits company Nat5 and Mexico-headquartered consultancy MexHub.
Two Mexican states are involved so far, with MexHub tasked with incentivising others to join, in an initiative that aims to build momentum over time, Guillermo Hinojos, CEO of Nat5, told Carbon Pulse.
“The NetPositive 2030 programme … has the goal of promoting actions that contribute to achieving net-positive biodiversity outcomes in Mexico by 2030,” said Hinojos.
The programme will focus on generating nature credits across biodiversity, soil, water, and carbon from regeneration projects financed by corporations.
“While the programme is designed to make significant contributions toward halting biodiversity loss, it is important to clarify that we are not claiming to achieve this alone,” Hinojos said.
“Instead, the initiative aims to play a crucial role in fostering collaboration among various stakeholders – including governments, private sector companies, and local communities – to collectively work toward this important goal.”
NATURE CREDITS
The NetPositive 2030 programme aims to enable companies and landowners to generate tradable nature credits to help Mexican states tackle biodiversity loss.
Nat5 announced three six-month pilots of a biodiversity credits methodology in sites in Mexico in May. It is also working on generating biodiversity and water credits in the Andes, and offers nature-based carbon credits via its website.
The new programme will involve biodiversity credits similar to those Nat5 has been piloting in Mexico, Hinojos said.
These biodiversity credits are part of its broader Ases On-Chain Protocol framework, which also includes credits for soil, water, and carbon, he said. Nat5 was created last year by Franco-Mexican ecological engineering company Ases.
“The programme integrates these credits to create a comprehensive system that not only offsets environmental impact but also actively contributes to ecological regeneration,” Hinojos said.
“The involvement of state governments is crucial here, as they help ensure the programme’s success by facilitating the implementation of projects that generate these credits, tailored to the specific needs of each region.”
PROJECT INCUBATORS
The programme will seek to establish ecological project incubators, supported by Switzerland-based nature value chain certifier Integrity Certificates.
Private and institutional investors “with whom pre-financing agreements have already been made” will back these incubators, Nat5 said.
Local universities and research centres will help validate the projects, making sure they follow the best scientific practices, it said.
By Thomas Cox – t.cox@carbon-pulse.com
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