OVERVIEW
The Ejido Caborachi Carbon Forestry Project is an Improved Forest Management initiative covering 16,063 hectares of temperate pine-oak forests in the Sierra Tarahumara region of Chihuahua, Mexico. Implemented in partnership with the indigenous Rarámuri community of Ejido Caborachi, where 82% of 1,405 residents speak their ancestral language, the project applies reduced-impact logging under the Climate Action Reserve’s Mexico Forest Protocol following ILO Convention 169 consultation with FPIC obtained in July 2024.
The High Conservation Value area supports 41 threatened species. Over 30 years, the project will generate 2.4 million tCO₂e. First issuance is underway as of May 2026
ACTIVITIES
The project implements extended harvest rotations and reduced extraction intensity across 64% pine forest coverage. Permanent monitoring plots track carbon stocks using the CALCBOSK methodology across above-ground biomass, standing dead wood, and soil organic carbon pools at elevations of 2,050-2,700 meters. A community fire brigade maintains firebreak networks protecting critical watersheds that supply 33% of community water needs.
BIODIVERSITY
The Sierra Tarahumara is one of North America’s most biodiverse mountain ranges, where temperate pine-oak forests shelter species found nowhere else. This High Conservation Value area protects 41 threatened species including the Thick-billed Parrot and Mexican endemic Eared Poorwill across elevations from 2,050 to 2,700 meters.
Thick-billed Parrot (EN)•
Eared Poorwill (Mexican endemic)•
COMMUNITY IMPACT
With 421 ejidatario families stewarding 16,063 hectares across 9 rancherías, the project channels 70% of carbon revenues to address infrastructure gaps affecting 55% of households, education needs, and Rarámuri cultural preservation. Following decades of institutional abandonment, the project rebuilds community trust through transparent benefit-sharing and wages 50% above poverty thresholds.
9 positions created (technicians & management)•
112 community members trained (35% of ejido)•
FPIC completed with 320 members participating•
Democratic assembly conducted in Rarámuri•
SAFEGUARDS
Multiple safeguards ensure long-term carbon storage and community benefit:
29% buffer pool protects against reversals•
100-year legal permanence commitment•
Community fire brigade with firebreak network•
FSC certification ensures sustainable practices•
421 ejidatarios provide continuous local monitoring•
Democratic assembly governance with transparent benefit-sharing•
KEY PARTNERS
•Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales de Chihuahua: Social monitoring and community development support
CONAFOR: Fire management coordination and resources
SEMARNAT: Forestry regulations compliance
PROFEPA: Environmental enforcement
SDG ALIGNMENT
Carbon revenues address infrastructure gaps affecting 55% of households (SDG 11) while protecting High Conservation Value forests supporting 41 threatened species (SDG 15). The project creates 9 fair-wage positions and trains 112 community members, advancing decent work (SDG 8).
