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

The document analyzes Mexico's progress in establishing a National Safeguard System (SNS) and a Safeguard Information System (SIS) for REDD+, highlighting the integration of these systems with national laws like the General Law on Sustainable Forest Development (LGDFS). While Mexico is a frontrunner in REDD+ preparation, the study identifies critical gaps in the operationalization of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), clarity on carbon ownership for avoided emissions, and the risk of diluted standards resulting from the World Bank's safeguard review process. It argues that explicit international guidance from the UNFCCC is necessary to help countries translate safeguard principles into action and avoid the conceptual confusion and sporadic progress experienced by Mexico.

• Mexico has conceptualized REDD+ not merely as a carbon mechanism but as a tool for "sustainable rural development" using an "integrated territory management" model that combines conservation, agriculture, and sustainable forest management.
• There has been significant conceptual confusion within the Mexican government regarding the difference between the National Safeguard System (SNS), which guarantees compliance, and the Safeguard Information System (SIS), which is a reporting mechanism.
• Mexico's General Law on Sustainable Forest Development (LGDFS) contains eight social safeguards for environmental services that are in some cases more demanding than UNFCCC requirements, specifically by explicitly requiring free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
• Despite international obligations and the application of FPIC to both indigenous and rural communities, Mexico lacks clear legal procedures and regulations to operationalize or verify the FPIC process.
• Legal clarity is lacking regarding the ownership of carbon from avoided emissions; while land owners are recognized as owners of captured carbon, the rights to avoided emissions appear to remain with the government.
• The World Bank's safeguard review process is viewed as a threat that could dilute environmental and social protections by lowering the bar for the use of national systems, requiring only that they be "materially consistent" with objectives rather than adhering to operational principles.
• The study concludes that further guidance from the UNFCCC is essential to help countries translate high-level safeguard principles into national and local action and to standardize reporting templates to reduce the burden on countries.

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} }