In this episode, Alexander Watson of OpenForests speaks with Martha “Pati” Ruiz Corzo, founder of Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda (GESG) and UN Champion of the Earth, and Laura P. Burke Pérez-Arce, GESG president and carbon finance architect behind Carbono Biodiverso. They explore four decades of community-led conservation in Mexico’s Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, and how local action is helping protect biodiversity while creating economic opportunities for rural communities.
From resisting highway and dam projects to developing a locally adapted carbon protocol for smallholder landowners, they share the challenges of protecting one of Mexico’s most remarkable natural landscapes. They explain how Carbono Biodiverso emerged from GESG’s long-standing relationships with local communities, offering an approach to carbon finance that connects forest conservation, natural regeneration and sustainable rural livelihoods.
The conversation also explores GESG’s strategic partnership with OpenForests, bringing geospatial transparency, digital mapping and monitoring infrastructure to forest conservation. Together, these approaches demonstrate how local knowledge, transparent carbon finance and community participation can help protect Mexico’s forests and support the people who care for them.
Watch the full episode on YouTube →
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