Nuevo San Juan Improved Forest Management

This improved forest management project increases carbon capture across over 18,000 hectares of indigenous community-managed forest in Michoacán, Mexico, where the local community of Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro has sustainably managed their lands for nearly 40 years. The project implements enhanced forest management practices including pest and disease monitoring, fire prevention and control, surveillance against illegal logging, reforestation with native species, forest restoration, vegetation clearing in regeneration areas, pruning and thinning, and silvicultural treatments that optimize forest soil productivity while protecting biodiversity. These improved management actions also help the community defend the forests against the growing threat of illegal avocado plantation conversion, a significant problem in the region where half of avocado farms are unauthorized and create strong economic pressure to clear forests. The carbon credit revenue provides crucial funding to maintain these enhanced protection measures at a time when government conservation support has declined, helping ensure these biodiverse forests continue to store increased amounts of carbon, support local livelihoods, and protect important wildlife habitat for generations to come.