Analysis of aboveground carbon for indigenous communities in Oaxaca, MX

Managing forests for carbon is a productive and sustainable way to provide conservation and economic and ecological value. Oaxaca, the most biologically diverse state in Mexico, located in the southwestern region of the country, is looking to expand carbon offset opportunities on indigenous lands. The client for this project, a Oaxacan-based NGO, Integrator Campesino and Indigenous Communities of Oaxaca (ICICO), is working in conjunction with indigenous communities, to manage and protect natural resources while providing sustainable livelihood opportunities. Carbon offset programs are emerging as a promising method in conserving the forests’ biodiversity, while still providing monetary value to the local people by selling credits on the carbon market. This project aims to (1) evaluate the current methodologies and allometric equations in use to calculate the aboveground carbon in the forest, (2) analyze if the current aboveground biomass map accurately depicts the carbon distribution across the state, and (3) identify future carbon offset project locations across the communally owned lands. As forests continue to be at risk of deforestation, the importance of creating community-based conservation opportunities is increasingly more valuable.