The Development of a National Safeguard System for REDD+ in Mexico

This case study examines Mexico's efforts to develop a National Safeguard System (SNS) and a Safeguard Information System (SIS) for REDD+, framing the initiative as a tool for sustainable rural development. While Mexico has made progress by integrating safeguards into existing federal laws and establishing participatory forums, the document identifies significant gaps in the operationalization of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), clarity on carbon ownership, and the distinction between the SNS and SIS.

• Mexico frames its REDD+ strategy as a mechanism for sustainable rural development rather than just carbon reduction, utilizing an "integrated territory management" model that combines conservation, agriculture, reforestation, and sustainable forest management to grow social capital and economic growth in rural communities.
• The Mexican government has historically confused the National Safeguard System (SNS) with the Safeguard Information System (SIS). It was only in the November 2014 draft of the ENAREDD+ that the SNS was defined as the structure to guarantee compliance, while the SIS is recognized as a reporting mechanism within that system.
• Mexico has integrated REDD+ safeguards into its federal legal framework, specifically through Article 134 bis of the General Law on Sustainable Forest Development (LGDFS). These eight social safeguards are in some cases more demanding than UNFCCC requirements, explicitly including free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for ejidos, rural communities, and indigenous peoples.
• Despite international obligations and the application of FPIC to both indigenous and non-indigenous rural communities, Mexico lacks clear legal procedures to operationalize or verify FPIC. A draft bill for a General Law on Consultation with Indigenous Peoples and Communities has stalled.
• There is a lack of legal clarity regarding carbon ownership, particularly concerning avoided emissions. While the ENAREDD+ recognizes land owners as owners of captured forest carbon, it states that determining specific contributions to avoided emissions is not technically viable, leaving the rights to those emissions unclear and potentially belonging to the government.
• The document argues that the World Bank's safeguard review process may weaken REDD+ protections in Mexico. The draft Environmental and Social Framework is criticized for lowering the bar for using national systems by requiring only that projects be "materially consistent" with objectives rather than adhering to operational principles.

APA

Baker, R., Carrillo, J. C., & Silverman, A. (2014). The Development of a National Safeguard System for REDD+ in Mexico. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/REDD_Mexico_Dec2014.pdf

Chicago

Baker, Rachel, Juan Carlos Carrillo, and Allison Silverman. The Development of a National Safeguard System for REDD+ in Mexico. Center for International Environmental Law, 2014. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/REDD_Mexico_Dec2014.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baker |first1=Rachel |last2=Carrillo |first2=Juan Carlos |last3=Silverman |first3=Allison |title=The Development of a National Safeguard System for REDD+ in Mexico |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=November 2014 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/REDD_Mexico_Dec2014.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baker2014development, author = {Baker, Rachel and Carrillo, Juan Carlos and Silverman, Allison}, title = {{The Development of a National Safeguard System for REDD+ in Mexico}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/REDD_Mexico_Dec2014.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }