Belém do Pará, Brazil, November 18, 2025

In the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), held from November 10 to 21 in Belém do Pará, Brazil, the Government of Mexico, through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat, in Spanish) and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp, in Spanish), announced its progress and actions to close the biodiversity financing gap toward 2030. Two strategic initiatives were presented: the projects MEx30x30 (Conserving Mexico’s Biodiversity Through Communities and Their Protected Areas) and ACCIÓN (Sustainable Communities for Climate Action in the Yucatán Peninsula).

The MEx30x30 project lays the foundation for an unprecedented effort to ensure the conservation of 30% of Mexico’s territory by 2030. Under the leadership of Conanp and in coordination with the governments of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, the ACCIÓN project was launched to contribute to the sustainable financing of 20 Protected Areas (PAs) and to increase the resilience of coastal communities in the Yucatán Peninsula.

Both initiatives are supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and will be implemented in partnership with Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN, acronym in Spanish).

During his remarks, Pedro Álvarez-Icaza Longoria, National Commissioner of Natural Protected Areas, stated: “The Government of Mexico reaffirms its commitment to the conservation of its PAs. With the recent approval of more than 500 million pesos for PAs protection in 2026, Conanp is making substantial efforts to close the financing gap toward the 2030 target, supporting Mexico’s diverse environmental and climate commitments.”

Kristin Lang, the GCF’s Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Region said: “At this COP30, the Green Climate Fund is marking 10 years of climate impact. This proud record is built on investments in landmark projects, such as the Sustainable Communities for Climate Action in the Yucatán Peninsula (ACCION). 

“Implemented by the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN), this innovative project aims to increase the climate resilience of vulnerable communities, ecosystems, and productive systems by supporting locally led Ecosystem-based adaptation interventions that enhance biodiversity, reduce climate vulnerability, and sustain essential ecosystem services. The project also supports Mexico’s goal of closing the finance gap on conservation and has the potential to be replicated and scaled up across the world.”

"The GEF is proud to support this major advancement in protecting biodiversity in Mexico and achieving the globally agreed targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework," said Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF. "The MEx30x30 project will support a long-term sustainable revenue stream for protected areas across Mexico with over 70% of the GEF funds supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ actions.”

These initiatives are strengthened by the commitments and actions outlined in Mexico’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0, which prioritizes biodiversity conservation and climate finance mobilization. Through the NDC 3.0, Mexico promotes integrated strategies that link biodiversity conservation with climate justice, as well as key measures to increase financing flows. Efforts to close the biodiversity financing gap contribute strategically to conserving the country’s main carbon sinks and achieving the mitigation targets established in the NDC 3.0.

With these projects, Mexico demonstrates decisive progress toward closing the conservation financing gap and ensuring the effective management of 30% of its territory under conservation, in line with the commitments made under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the NDC 3.0.

The Government of Mexico, through Semarnat and Conanp, reaffirms its commitment to guaranteeing the conservation and preservation of the country’s ecosystems.