Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Mangrove and Freshwater Wetland Conservation Through Carbon Offsets: A Cost-Benefit Analysis for Establishing Environmental Policies

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mexico has extensive coastal wetlands (4,243,137 ha), and one of its most important sites is the Alvarado Lagoon System, located in the Papaloapan River Basin on the Gulf of Mexico. The land cover dedicated to livestock and sugarcane has increased: by 25 % in 2005 and 50 % in 2010, with a loss of wetland vegetation and the carbon that it stores. We found that the Net Present Value of mangrove carbon offsets profit is equal to $5822.71, that of broad-leaved marshes is $7958.86, cattail marshes $5250.33, and forested wetlands $8369.41 per hectare, during a 30-year-carbonoffset contract. However, the opportunity cost from conserving wetland instead of growing sugarcane is positive according to REDD+ methodology, e.g., broad-leaved marsh conservation ranged from $6.73 to $20 USD/t CO2e, that of cattail marshes from $12.20 to $32.65 USD/t CO2e, and forested wetlands from $7.15 to $20.60 USD/t CO2e, whereas the opportunity cost between conservation and livestock was negative, it means that conservation is more profitable. The cost-benefit analysis for assessing investment projects from a governmental perspective is useful to determine the viability of conserving coastal wetlands through carbon offset credits. It also shows why in some areas it is not possible to conserve ecosystems due to the opportunity cost of changing from one economic activity (livestock and sugarcane) to carbon offsets for protecting wetlands. Furthermore, it allows for a comparison of carbon markets and assessment in terms of REDD+ and its methods for determining the social cost per ton of carbon avoided.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aburto-Oropeza O, Ezcurra E, Danemann G, Valdez V, Murray J, Sala E (2008) Mangroves in the Gulf of California increase fishery yields. P Natl Acad Sci USA 105:10456–10459. doi:10.1073/pnas.0804601105

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adame MF et al. (2013) Carbon stocks of tropical coastal wetlands within the karstic landscape of the Mexican Caribbean. PLoS ONE 8:e56569. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056569

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adger WN, Brown K, Cervigni R, Moran D (1995) Total economic value of forests in Mexico. Ambio 24(5):286–296

    Google Scholar 

  • Aguilar-Rivera N (2005) Diversificación productiva de la industria azucarera ¿Reto tecnológico, económico, o social? CIECAS 05:54–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Balick JM, Mendelson R (1992) Assessing the economic value of traditional medicines from tropical rain forests. Conserv Biol 6:128–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baltodano ME (2005) Valoración económica de la oferta del servicio ambiental hídrico en las subcuencas de los ríos Calico y Jucuapa, Nicaragua. Master of Science Thesis, CATIE

  • Barreto E, Panosso AR, Romão R, La Scala N (2010) Greenhouse gas emission associated with sugar production in southern Brazil. Carbon Balance Manag 5(3):7

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernal B, Mitsch WJ (2008) A comparison of soil carbon pools and profiles in wetlands in Costa Rica and Ohio. Ecol Eng 34:311–323. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2008.09.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouillon S et al. (2008) Mangrove production and carbon sinks: a revision of global budget estimates. Global Biogeochem Cy 22:GB2013. doi:10.1029/2007GB003052/abstract

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brander L, Wagtendonk A, Hussain S, McVittie A, Verburg PH, de Groot RS, van der Ploeg S (2012) Ecosystem service values for mangroves in Southeast Asia: a meta-analysis and value transfer application. Ecosys Serv 1:62–69. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2012.06.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldeira K (2012) Avoiding mangrove destruction by avoiding carbon dioxide emissions. PNAS 109:14287–14288. doi:10.1073/pnas.1211718109

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Camacho-Valdez V, Ruiz-Luna A, Ghermandi A, Nunes PALD (2013) Valuation of ecosystem services provided by coastal wetlands in northwest Mexico. Ocean Coast Manage 78:1–11. doi:10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2013.02.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos A, Hernández ME, Moreno-Casasola P, Cejudo Espinosa E, Robledo RA, Infante Mata D (2011) Soil water retention and carbon pools in tropical forested wetlands and marshes of the Gulf of Mexico. Hydrolog Sci J 56(8):1388–1406. doi:10.1080/02626667.2011.629786

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cejudo-Espinosa E, Ramos-Valdivia AC, Moreno-Casasola P, Rodríguez-Vázquez R (2008) Short-term accumulation of atrazine by three plants from a wetland model system. Arch Environ Con Tox 56(2):8. doi:10.1007/s00244-008-9193-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Cierre de la producción agrícola por cultivo (2012a) SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación). http://www.siap.gob.mx

  • Colegio-de-Postgraduados (2003) Azúcar. FUNPROVER (Fundación Produce Veracruz), Veracruz

    Google Scholar 

  • CONAGUA (2007) Cuenca del río Papaloapan. CONAGUA (Comisión Nacional del Agua), Xalapa-Veracruz

    Google Scholar 

  • CONAGUA-CONACYT-48247 (2009) Inventario, delimitación, caracterización y uso sustentable de los humedales de la cuenca del río Papaloapan, México. CONAGUA (Comisión Nacional del Agua), CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología), Ciudad de México, D.F. http://www.conagua.gob.mx/INH14/Noticias/Cuenca_papaloapan.pdf

  • Costanza R, Farber S, Maxwell J (1989) Valuation and management of wetland ecosystems. Ecol Econ 1:335–361. doi:10.1016/0921-8009(89)90014-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CSVA (2006) Disponibilidad del recurso hídrico en la cuenca del Río Papaloapan. CSVA (Consejo del Sistema Veracruzano del Agua), Veracruz-Veracruz

    Google Scholar 

  • Culas RJ (2012) REDD and forest transition: tunneling through the environmental Kuznets curve. Ecol Econ 79:44–51. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.04.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cámara-de-Diputados (2012) Ley general de cambio climático vol DOF 06-06-2012. Diario Oficial de la Federación, Ciudad de México, D.F.

  • de Groot R et al. (2012) Global estimates of the value of ecosystems and their services in monetary units. Ecosys Serv 1:50–61. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2012.07.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De la Lanza Espino G et al. (2013) Propuesta metodológica para la valoración económica en sistemas costeros de México. Investigación Ambiental 5:7–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Erwin K (2009) Wetlands and global climate change: the role of wetland restoration in a changing world. Wet Ecol Manag 17:71–84. doi:10.1007/s11273-008-9119-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2007) The world’s mangroves 1980-2005. FAO, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • Godoy R, Lubowski R, Markandya A (1993) A method for the economic valuation of non-timber tropical forest products. Econ Bot 47(3):220–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Marín RM, Moreno-Casasola P, Orellana R, Castillo A (2012a) Palm use and social values in rural communities on the coastal plains of Veracruz, Mexico. Environ, Dev Sustain 14:541–555. doi:10.1007/s10668-012-9343-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Marín RM, Moreno-Casasola P, Orellana R, Castillo A (2012b) Traditional wetland palm uses in construction and cooking in Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico. Indian J Tradit Know 11(3):408–413

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez ME, Marín-Muñiz JL, Moreno-Casasola P, Vázquez V (2014) Comparing soil carbon pools and carbon gas fluxes in coastal forested wetlands and flooded grasslands in Veracruz, Mexico Int J Biodivers Sci, Ecosys Services Manage 11:1–12. doi: 10.1080/21513732.2014.925977

  • Herrador D, Dimas L (2000) Aportes y limitaciones de la valoración económica en la implementación de esquemas de pago por servicios ambientales. Prisma 41, San Salvador

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard J, Hoyt S, Isensee K, Pidgeon E, Telszewski M (eds) (2014) Coastal blue carbon: methods for assessing carbon stocks and emissions factors in mangroves, tidal salt marshes, and seagrass meadows. Conservation International, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Arlington, VA

    Google Scholar 

  • Índice de marginación por entidad federativa y municipio (2010) CONAPO (Consejo Nacional de Población). http://www.conapo.gob.mx

  • Índice Nacional de Precios al Consumidor (INPC) (2013) INEGI. http://www.inegi.org.mx

  • Juárez-Eusebio A (2005) La acuacultura rústica. In: Moreno-Casasola P, Peresbarbosa Rojas E, Travieso-Bello AC (eds) Estrategias para el Manejo Costero Integral: el Enfoque Municipal. Instituto de Ecología A.C., Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz-Llave, Xalapa-Veracruz, pp 989–1016. Vol 3

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan MN, Suwa R, Hagihara A (2007) Carbon and nitrogen pools in a mangrove stand of Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong: vertical distribution in the soil–vegetation system. Wet Ecol Manag 15:141–153. doi:10.1007/s11273-006-9020-8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Landgrave R, Moreno-Casasola P (2012) Evaluación cuantitativa de la pérdida de humedales en México. Investigación Ambiental 4:19–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Lara-Domínguez A, Yañez-Arancibia A, Seijo J (1998) Valuación económica de los servicios de los ecosistemas. Estudio de caso de los manglares en Campeche. In: Benítez H, Vega E, Peña-Jimenez A, Ávila-Foucat S (eds) Aspectos Económicos sobre la Biodiversidad en México. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), Instituto Nacional de Ecología (INE), Ciudad de México, D.F.

    Google Scholar 

  • López Rosas H, López-Barrera F, Moreno-Casasola P, Aguirre-León G, Cázares-Hernández E, Sánchez-Higueredo L (2010) Indicators of recovery in a tropical freshwater marsh invaded by an African grass. Ecol Restoration 28:324–332. doi:10.3368/er.28.3.324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mankiw NG (2002) Macroeconomía: Principios de Economía, 2nd edn. McGraw-Hill Interamericana de España, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Marín-Muñiz J, Hernández M, Moreno-Casasola P (2014) Comparing soil carbon sequestration in coastal freshwater wetlands with various geomorphic features and plant communities in Veracruz, Mexico. Plant Soil 378:189–203. doi:10.1007/s11104-013-2011-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marín-Muñiz JL, Hernández-Alarcón ME, Moreno-Casasola P (2011) Secuestro de carbono en suelos humedales costeros de agua dulce en Veracruz. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 13:365–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendoza-González G, Martínez ML, Lithgow D, Pérez-Maqueo O, Simonin P (2012) Land use change and its effects on the value of ecosystem services along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Ecol Econ 82:23–32. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.07.018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium-Ecosystem-Assessment (2005) Ecosystems and human well-being: wetlands and water synthesis. World Health. World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ming J, Xianguo L, Linshu X, Lijuan C, Shouzheng T (2007) Flood mitigation benefit of wetland soil — a case study in momoge national nature reserve in China. Ecol Econ 61:217–223. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.10.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch WJ, Gosselink JG (2007) Wetlands. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno E, Guerrero A, Gutiérrez MdC, Ortiz CA, Palma D (2002) Los manglares de Tabasco, una reserva natural de carbono. Madera y Bosques 8(1):115–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Casasola P, López-Rosas H, Rodríguez-Medina K (2012) From tropical wetlands to pastures on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. PASTOS 42:185–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Casasola P, Hernández y ME, Campos CA (2016) Hydrology, soil carbon sequestration and water retention along a coastal wetland gradient in the Alvarado Lagoon System, Veracruz, Mexico. In: Martinez ML, Taramelli D, Silva R (eds) Coastal resilience: exploring the many challenges from different viewpoints. J Coast Res, Special Issue 77:109–120

  • Murdiyarso D, Donato D, Kauffman JB, Kurnianto S, Stidham M, Kanninen M (2009) Carbon storage in mangrove and peatland ecosystems. CIFOR, FOREST SERVICE, IPIF, Bogor-Barat, Indonesia, A preliminary account from plots in Indonesia vol 48

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2003) Environmentally Harmful Subsidies: Policy Issues and Challenges. OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Olmsted I (1993) Wetlands of Mexico. In: Whigham DF, Dykyjová D, Hejnÿ S (eds) Wetlands of the world I: Inventory, ecology and management. Handbook of Vegetation Science. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Mexico City, pp 637–677

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Padrón de beneficiarios PROCAMPO (2013a) SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación). http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx

  • Pearce D, Atkinson G, Mourato S (2006) Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment. OECD, Paris, France, Recent Developments

    Google Scholar 

  • Peters CM, Gentry AH, Mendelsonhn RO (1989) Valuation of an Amazonian rainforest. Nature 339:655–656

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Resumen municipal pecuario (2012b) SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación). http://www.siap.gob.mx

  • Rodríguez-Medina K, Moreno-Casasola P (2013) Effect of livestock on soil structure and chemistry in the coastal marshes of the central Gulf Coast of Mexico. Soil Res 51:341–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAGARPA (2013b) Reglas de operación para la obtención de recursos. Diario Oficial de la Federación, Ciudad de México, México

    Google Scholar 

  • SAGARPA-CONADESUCA (2010) Marco Jurídico- Reglas de operación. SAGARPA (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación). www.conadesuca.gob.mx

  • Salarios mínimos (2013) Diarío Oficial de la Federación. http://www.sat.gob.mx

  • SEFIPLAN (2013) Cuadernillos de información municipal. SEFIPLAN (Secretaría de Finanzas y Planeación). Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz, Xalapa-Veracruz, Mexico

    Google Scholar 

  • SHCP (2013) Lineamientos para la elaboración y presentación de los análisis de costo y beneficio de los programas y proyectos de inversión. Diario Oficial de la Federación, Ciudad de México, D.F.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrivastava AK, Solomon S (2011) Sustaining sugarcane productivity under depleting water resources. Curr Sci 101:748–754

    Google Scholar 

  • Siikamäki J, Sanchirico JN, Jardine SL (2012) Global economic potential for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from mangrove loss. P Natl Acad Sci USA 109:14369–14374. doi:10.1073/pnas.1200519109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith J, Mourato S, Veneklaas E, Labarta R, Reategui K, Sanchez G (1998) Can global environmental markets help to control tropical deforestation? Evidence from the Peruvian Amazon. Paper presented at the First World Congress on Environmental and Resource Economics, Italy

  • UNFCCC (1998) Kyoto protocol to the United Nations framework convention on climate Change. United Nations, Kyoto, Japan

  • Vázquez-González C, Fermán-Almada JL, Moreno-Casasola P, Espejel I (2014) Scenarios of vulnerability in coastal municipalities of tropical Mexico an analysis of wetland land use. Ocean Coast Manage 89:11–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White D, Minang P (eds) (2011) Estimating the opportunity costs of REDD+. World Bank Institute, Washington, D.C., A training manual

    Google Scholar 

  • Yáñez-Arancibia A, Lara-Dominguez AL (1995) Los manglares de América Latina en La Encrucijada. Instituto de Ecología A.C., UICN/ORMA, NOAA/NMFS Silver Spring MD, Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, Vol 1

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the International Tropical Timber Organization project RED-PD 045/11 Rev.2 (M), CONACYT- SEMARNAT (107754), and the Institute of Ecology A.C. The authors thank the Mexican Network of Coastal Management (Red de Manejo Costero en México, PROMEP). We are grateful to the fishermen of Alvarado for their help setting up the stations to measure the parameters needed for this study, and to Roberto Monroy for advice on Geographic Information Systems. In memoriam of Abraham Juárez, without whom this study would have been impossible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Ecología Funcional, Institute of Ecology (INECOL A.C.), Carretera Antigua a Coatepec 351, Xalapa, 91070, Mexico

    César Vázquez-González, Patricia Moreno-Casasola, María Elizabeth Hernández & Adolfo Campos

  2. Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, 22860, Mexico

    Ileana Espejel & José Luis Fermán-Almada

Authors
  1. César Vázquez-González
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Patricia Moreno-Casasola
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. María Elizabeth Hernández
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Adolfo Campos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ileana Espejel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. José Luis Fermán-Almada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patricia Moreno-Casasola.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Table 4

Table 4 Comparison among the results of ecosystem service values from other studies and different type of ecosystems
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Vázquez-González, C., Moreno-Casasola, P., Hernández, M.E. et al. Mangrove and Freshwater Wetland Conservation Through Carbon Offsets: A Cost-Benefit Analysis for Establishing Environmental Policies. Environmental Management 59, 274–290 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-016-0790-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-016-0790-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation