Helena Barona is Latin America coordinator for Scotland-based Plan Vivo Foundation, a nonprofit that assists communities and smallholders bearing the brunt of the world’s climate crisis. Specifically, Plan Vivo provides environmental-certification and oversight services so climate-vulnerable communities can undertake land conservation and climate-protection projects that generate sales of carbon credits, yielding them much-needed income. In this way, smallholders and communities gain carbon-market access that they might not otherwise manage to get. The organization was established in 1994 to provide environmental certification for Scolel’te, an early forest-carbon offset project established in Mexico by institutions including Scotland’s University of Edinburgh and College of the Southern Border (Ecosur), a southern Mexico research center. Before joining Plan Vivo, Barona worked in development, migration, green jobs and other areas for institutions including the UN International Migration Organization, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the government of Chiapas state in Mexico. Barona spoke recently with EcoAméricas correspondent Mercedes Alvaro.
[Log in to read more]

Would you like to Subscribe?