Jalisco Cultural Landscape Model On Display

As part of the execution of Project Bioconnect, the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet) presented the experience of the state of Jalisco in the implementation and regulation of Biocultural Landscapes to authorities and representatives of the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (Conabio), the French Development Agency (AFD) and the states of Puebla, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo and Yucatan, as well as the University of the Environment (UMA). The Biocultural Landscape in Jalisco, located in the Sierra Occidental, is a rural territory recognized for its heritage and landscape value, in which inhabitants, local governments and other institutional and socio-productive actors are organized around a common vision.

This model is formalized in a Territorial Management Agreement to promote economic development based on the protection and enhancement of its natural and cultural heritage. To join this model, the place must share its own landscape and identity, be managed with a unified vision of its inhabitants, and promote economic development, as well as the protection and validation of nature and local culture. There is also the Biocultural Landscape brand, which distinguishes specific and/or emblematic products and services of the territory, can identify the territory through signage, trails or routes, and values socio-productive activities when they comply with sustainable practices in accordance with the objectives of the model. It is important to mention that this mark does not certify products under Denomination of Origin, Organic, Fair Trade, Organic, etc.

The next steps for this project in the Western Sierra of Jalisco include obtaining the Biocultural Landscape certificate once the certification dossier is validated by the municipalities and the Territorial Management Council is formalized. Work is also underway to transfer ownership of the "Biocultural Landscape of the Western Sierra of Jalisco" seal. With the support of Project Bioconnect, the Pilot Project "Protection of the biodiversity and ecosystems of the Ameca-Manantlán corridor" was implemented in Jalisco. The internalization of biocultural landscapes in state public policy has resulted in reforms to the State Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LEEEPA), through which Biocultural Landscapes were recognized as a mechanism for integrated territorial management, published in the Official Journal of the State of Jalisco on April 21, 2020. Recently the Regulations to the law were published, where the steps to carry out the process are specified.