By Fabián Trejo Rojas
Since 2018, the German Cooperation for Sustainable Development (GIZ, its acronym in German) in Mexico has promoted climate change control in San Miguel de Allende. It is well known that SMA is a popular tourist destination with an international appeal. Tourism, however, also exerts enormous pressure on demographic and urban growth, and imposes high socio-environmental costs. For decades, tourism has been considered “the industry without smokestacks,” when in fact this economic activity contributes 8% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
The Adaptation to Climate Change for the Tourism Sector project, known as ADAPTUR, has had a presence in the municipality for four years. It is dedicated to strengthening sustainable tourism development in SMA. ADAPTUR is part of the federal government through the Offices of Tourism (SECTUR) and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), in addition to the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC). ADAPTUR-GIZ, for which I work as a national technical advisor, is implementing ADAPTUR. At the regional level, the project has received solid support from the Secretary of Tourism and the Secretary of Environment and Territorial Planning of Guanajuato, as well as the municipality of San Miguel de Allende. The private sector, civil society, organizations, and the academy support ADAPTUR.
What is ADAPTUR’s goal? First, to reduce the vulnerability of tourism to the impact of climate change. Second, to protect the natural assets of SMA’s semi-desert environment. Third, to promote ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures in the natural territory around the urban area.
We may ask why it is important to protect the nature of this world heritage city, which is visited above all for its historic center? It is because ecosystems provide essential resources to both residents and tourists, such as water, oxygen, temperature regulation, and food.
ADAPTUR collaborates with several tourist destinations in Mexico. Its first phase has been a collaboration with the Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit-Puerto Vallarta, and San Miguel de Allende. The current, second phase, includes collaborating with Los Cabos, Mexico City, and Valle de Bravo. In these pilot sites, the knowledge of key actors in tourism development about climate change is strengthened. Most importantly, it supports strategies for cities and their residents to reduce their vulnerability to climate change.
In recent years, ADAPTUR has worked with local authorities, businesspeople, and NGOs to identify the economic cost of climate change on SMA. For example, a specific analysis was carried out for 21 tourist businesses to determine the possible damage to income, operations, and the facilities of each one. ADAPTUR identified that if the current situation does not change, and based on the climate scenarios provided by the Secretary of the Environment and Territorial Planning (for its acronym in Spanish SMAOT), the rainy season could be shorter. However, sporadic precipitation would be more frequent, which would mean an increase in the intervals between droughts. This would put the already scarce availability of water in the Bajío area at a greater risk. A forecast indicates that in 2060 the price of water consumed by SMA residents could be 192% more expensive than it is now.
How the private sector has been involved in conservation
The participation of the private tourist sector of SMA is the main point of ADAPTUR’s strategy, because businesses in this sector, such as hotels, restaurants, and spas would experience enormous losses due to the expected impact of climate change. Water could become even more scarce, heat waves and fires caused by droughts could increase, and there could be more frequent floods. Because of these concerns, the Business Coordinating Council has made two visits to the upper basin of the Laja River and the Támbula-Picachos sub-basin with representatives of the tourism sector to learn about environmental damage.
With the help of expert technicians, several ejidos (communal farmland) were identified. Those ejidos have received resources from the municipality to restore soil, reforest with endemic species, recover rainwater to the aquifer, and rehabilitate embankments. The businesspeople were surprised that a few kilometers from their businesses and homes there are dry and deforested lands. Today, these places are incapable of retaining rainwater, whereas before there were hectares with grasslands, huizaches (thorny, shrubby acacia) and mesquites. It was most gratifying to witness how in a few years, the nature-based adaptation measures carried out in the ejidos are producing biodiversity. This creates a second chance for the environment, and at the same time reduces the risks for SMA, for its population, and for their businesses. To better understand, you can watch a video at: https://adaptur.mx/trabajo-intersectorial-sma.html
ADAPTUR’s experience
As far as adaptation to climate change goes, the State of Guanajuato is an example for the rest of Mexico’s states. It has a solid legal framework and committed authorities. Only a few days ago, the National Association of State Environmental Authorities (ANAAE) and the Union of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico (ASETUR) signed a collaboration framework agreement. This agreement protects the environment and promotes mitigation and adaptation to climate change in tourism through the promotion of sustainable and nature tourism.
Secretary of the Environment and Territorial Planning of Guanajuato and president of the board of directors of ANAAE María Isabel Ortiz Mantilla, Secretary of Tourism of Oaxaca and President of the Board of Directors of ASETUR Juan Carlos Rivera Castellanos, Secretary of Tourism of Guanajuato Juan José Álvarez Brunel, and Director of the GIZ Climate Cluster Philipp Schukat signed as honorary witnesses.
The objective of the ADAPTUR agreement is to “join the efforts and intent in the coordinated implementation of transversal strategies that allow generating synergies of greater scope in the execution of common plans, programs, and projects in tourism and environmental matters in the different states in the country.”
Faced with this new challenge, ADAPTUR will focus on training and providing technical assistance to all state tourism and environment offices, with the aim of integrating criteria and goals for adaptation to climate change in their sectoral plans and programs. I do not exaggerate by pointing out that this agreement promoted by Guanajuato residents marks a milestone in tourism policy. For the first time, the environment and tourism sectors of the state are working together to combat climate change and nature conservation.
Climate change is everyone’s problem
Climate change is like the noise a car’s brakes make when they need to be changed. There is that annoying sound when we step on the brake, until a fatal accident occurs. What can readers do? Simple: choose what you buy, what you eat, and how you travel. How about tourist businesses? Find out what will happen at your destination, and then conserve nature so that it in turn protects us in the future. Investing in natural capital today is the most sensible measure for maintaining the profitability of companies.
Finally, I invite readers to consult the documents, information and videos regarding this project on the following web portal: https://adaptur.mx/
*Fabián Trejo Rojas is the national technical advisor for ADAPTUR-GIZ.
