Communicating the Processes, Values, and Impacts of Carbon Offsetting by the Communities of the Integrator of Indigenous and Campesino Communities of Oaxaca (ICICO)

Abstract

The Integrator of Indigenous and Rural Communities of Oaxaca (ICICO) is an indigenous-led, community-based organization devoted to overseeing the sustainable management of natural resources of 16 communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. Our Master’s Project explores and informs effective strategies ICICO can use to communicate their story and carbon offset project to a variety of external audiences, including carbon offset buyers, the general public, potential funders, and the Mexican and international press. Through interviews, articles, and an extensive literature review, we identified themes important to ICICO and target audiences. We found that ICICO values community engagement, co-benefits of carbon offsetting, and the Oaxacan context of their project. In contrast, carbon offset buyers and funders are more interested in project developers clearly addressing key criteria, such as additionality, durability, and transparency. The general public is most interested in accessible storytelling and engaging, interactive content. The press is attracted by a mix of information related to verifiability, co-benefits of carbon offsetting, and culture. During our project, we also identified another audience important to ICICO’s external communications: communities interested in learning from and/or joining ICICO’s work. Our research will inform 5 main bilingual deliverables for ICICO including a website, edited media footage, verification document suggestions, an annual report template, and a condensed summary of our research, results, recommendations, and useful resources.