{DAVID YETMAN} The Mexican state Oaxaca has a greater variety of cultures, habitats, and geographical features than any other area in the Americas [AMBIENT MUSIC] In its deeply forested mountains Native peoples have learned over the centuries to use their forest to sustain them [TREE FALLING] and their economy in an enduring fashion We can learn from them.

{DAVID BRAY} This has to be one of the most sustainable landscapes in the developing world [SPEAKING SPANISH] {ANNOUNCER} Funding for In the Americas with David Yetman was provided by Robert and Carol Dorsey.

[MUSIC] The Guilford Fund.

Arch and Laura Brown.

And Hugh and Joyce Bell.

[THEME SONG PLAYING] [ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC] {DAVID} Most visitors to Oaxaca come to the heavily populated Central valleys, where most of the people of Oaxaca live but Oaxaca is also a very mountainous state.

I'm standing here at about 9500 feet and as I look down to the valleys I can see small communities that are settled down there.

And what we find out is that throughout these mountains from the lower valleys up into the highest slopes, are indigenous communities that have been here for centuries and lately, they have learned how their communities can be sustained.

[CALM MUSIC] Our first stop is in the city of Oaxaca at a water bottling plant owned and operated by people of a remote forest town [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {FREDERICO LOPEZ} In 1997, members of the Pueblos Mancomunados realized there weren't enough jobs for women.

They needed an activity where women could work, specifically in the bottling of spring water.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} That's why they decided to bring the plant here to the city of Oaxaca [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} Its a quasi-miracle that out of the mountains to the north of Oaxaca, come some of the purest water available anywhere in North America It comes from some communities called Pueblos Mancomunados [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {FREDERICO} The product is very well received because of its flavor and purity We like to say that the water already comes naturally purified but we still put it through a thorough purification process.

We currently produce 2500 gallons per day [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} To find the source of the water, and the people who provide it, we follow the winding mountain road to the town of Jaltianguis [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} This is a elementary school that has a huge diversity of programs that basically teach the young people all sorts of skills It's, ecology, it's gardening.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ADELFA} We plant a variety of crops, mainly for our own consumption, and for the kids to take home.

And some of the plants we leave to keep growing so that we can collect their seeds and keep the cycle going.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} We have the sixth grade class.

{DAVID} This, uh, small class are rapidly becoming experts in the importance of carbon, carbon sequestration.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {STUDENT} Carbon is a chemical element.

It's the main element to form molecules that make up the living beings.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {STUDENT} The plants fix the carbon.

The carbon is released to the atmosphere [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {STUDENT} Our forests help us have clean air.

We have to take care of it and not litter so that everyone can have clean air {DAVID} This community has worked out an international system of getting carbon credits because of their willingness to conserve the resources that help the lessening of carbon gases into the air, which lead to global warming.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {LIZETH PEREZ} The regulations stipulate how we reinvest this resource.

60% of the revenue we have to reinvest in the forest understanding that the forest is the one that give us this resource 30% of the amount is distributed among social work initiatives like the three institutions we have including the primary and secondary schools.

It also supports health and sports initiatives for example, by hiring coaches [SPEAKING SPANISH] [CALM MUSIC] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ADELFA} There are labels on everything that was purchased with carbon credits [SPEAKING SPANISH] We display this information so that our children are aware and understand the importance of carbon credits, of our forests, and most of all, the importance of water Because if we don't take care of our forest, it won't be in the good condition that it is now.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] [WATER DRIPPING] {DAVID} Around the world there are thousands and thousands of communities, towns, even cities that would die to have spring water piped into the middle of their town as this is [WATER GURGLING] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {VICTOR HERNANDEZ} We are here at the health center We bought an ultrasound machine using carbon credits.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {MONICA MORENO} There is a lot of time invested here, a lot of time to diagnose illnesses, and decide on the best treatment This is very helpful because we have so many pregnant women in the community, so it's really good for them.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] [SPEAKING SPANISH] Since we have the equipment here, we can do preventive work and prioritize health [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {COMMUNITY MEMBER} In total there are eight trash cans that we have in different locations [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {VICTOR} They support us with training with clinical, with everything.

[AMBIENT MUSIC] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {LIZETH} We reinvest 60% of the revenue back into the forest That means hiring people to maintain the land, monitoring biodiversity and keeping track of the waters quality and volume [SUBTLE MUSIC] [WATER FALLING] {DAVID} My friend and professor David Bray has spent three decades studying how peoples of the forests of the Sierra Norte have maintained the integrity and productivity of their forests to their cultural and economic advantage [TREE HITTING THE GROUND] {DAVID BRAY} I first visited the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca in October of 1989, and when I got up here, I was quite amazed at what I saw Already in 1989, communities up here have been managing their forest for the commercial production of timber This is when the Amazon was burning, when Chico Mendes, the great hero of - the defender of the Amazon had been assassinated.

And at the time, I didn't know much - I didn't really know anything about forestry or community forestry but I knew enough to know that what I was seeing here in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca was quite amazing They already had sawmills Because of the Mexican Revolution, they owned the forest [CHAINSAW WHIRLING] The logging is regulated by the Mexican government.

[WOOD HITTING THE DIRT] These communities are some of the major providers for the 50% of the Mexican timber market produced here in Mexico.

They are very dedicated to following their authorized vo because they want to conserve their forest for future generations.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {APARICIO MARTINEZ} We plant between 80 and 100 thousand plants anually [SPEAKING SPANISH] After planting the seeds, we wait about 30 days for them to sprout [SPEAKING SPANISH] We place two seeds in each pot, and then remove the weaker seedling, so that the stronger one can continue to grow.

After about six months, they are ready to be taken to the forest [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} And at the right time, they are taken up into the mountains and planted, as the next generation of pine trees to replace those that have been cut [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} We have a team of women who do the pruning, the weeding and removing unwanted competing plants {DAVID} What we're seeing here is a local version of a semi clear cut This has been lumbered as part of the income of the community but it is carefully monitored afterwards to make sure that we get a recruitment of young Pines.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ANAMARIA MARTINEZ} we plant the seeds and the ones that germinate we transplant to the hills.

Then they help clear the land of unwanted growth so the pines can thrive [SPEAKING SPANISH] [PLANTS RUSTLING] [SPEAKING SPANISH] Men and women work here.

Before I came here, I worked at the communal sawmill grading the wood into different categories.

I really enjoy working with nature [SPEAKING SPANISH] [ [ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC BEGINS] {BRAY} This has to be one of the most sustainble landscapes in the developing world because these communities have combined sustainable logging with community based eco tourism with water bottling.

But more recently they are also selling carbon bonds to both Mexican and major international corporations This was not part of their traditional cultures.

These were communities of subsistence corn farmers who really only use the forest for hunting, for wild fruit, for medicinal plants.

For 25 years — before 1982, 1983 these forests were under concession by the government to private entreprises They convinced the government that they had the ability to manage the forest for themselves And, so beginning in 1982, 1983, they were able to regain full control of their forest And it was a difficult period through the 80s because they had to learn everything involved with industrial forestry So this community actually has 29 thousand acres of forest now managed as a community park.

[ACOUSTIC GUITAR CONTINUES] {DAVID} The sign says, “in this community, private property does not exist.” throughout many, many indigenous communities, not just in Mexico but throughout the Americas, The idea that land could be bought and sold and individually owned was alien to them, and it stays on here in Mexico among the hundreds and hundreds of indigenous communities throughout the Republic.

[MUSIC FADES] {BRAY} Community as a whole are, together, owners of the, the territory and the forest.

They can decide on the benefits that come to them from the forest But there's also many good paying jobs in these communities So many people can stay in their communities, work in the forest industry, work in the water bottling plants, and they can stay here, they don't have to immigrate.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ANAMARIA} There's a lot of work that goes into managing the forest We come and cut the trees and then create contour lines to prevent soil erosion After that, we do reforestation work The wood we get here is pine and its distributed to different industries [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} The pine like this is mostly for furniture and construction.

And lumber is very scarce in Mexico So it's a real valuable resource The other pile over here is oak and the oak - - is much easier to cut and it stays nice and moist but it is dried out and cooked into charcoal to provide a way of cooking for tens to hundreds of thousands of Mexican families [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {LIZETH} Both types of wood are essential but pinewood is the most important economically because it has the highest market value Oak, however, has significant ecological value.

It regulates the water cycle, fixes important nutrients to the soil, and provides habitat for species that pine doesn't provide.

It also creates employment opportunities At the moment, we use a selective harvesting method.

We have groups performing small lumber operations.

We cut selected plants to allow conditions for the pine to grow.

It's been three or four years since the pines started growing tall We leave them to naturally incorporate into the environment with other plants, which also have ecological importance.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ROSENDO PEREZ} Well, we have been working with Jaltianguis since 2021, and we have been developing their carbon offset project.

And right now they have issued over 32 thousand credits for the international voluntary market A credit is a ton of carbon- of carbon dioxide sequestered by the, by the trees We have estimates that some of the communities that we are working with can sequestate over 600 thousand tons of carbon dioxide per year.

And then those offsets can be offered to potential buyers in the international voluntary market part of the money that is received by the community for the sale of those credits goes to activities such as education, health, pretty much ensuring that the community will continue to develop their their way of life And the livelihoods of that- of the people living with this, rural communities [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {LIZETH} The Jaltianguis community covers 5600 hectares with a 1,324 included in the management plan.

The Sierra Norte is known for using its forest sustainably These forests are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to ensure that all work is carried out responsibly.

This is the community's main source of income and it also alllow us to reinvest in the forest which is vital for keeping it well-managed.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {BRAY} After 45 years of logging these forests, there are still 78% forest cover These communities are a very important element in fighting climate change By conserving these highly productive forests.

[SOFT MUSIC] {DAVID} We now understand that these forests have been this way for hundreds of years and the amount of timber that is harvested is compatible with them staying in a prime condition forever.

[MUSIC CONTINUES] [MACHINE WHIRLING] [UPLIFTING MUSIC] {DAVID} Trout are not native to the streams here in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca Long ago, people discovered that if they brought trout and introduced them into local waters they reproduce quite well But here they have established a hatchery All stages of the growth here are controlled, feed them and then harvest them.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ENRIQUE LUNA} We sort the trout by size.

The bigger ones stay here.

and the smaller ones go to the pond so that they can grow faster [SPEAKING SPANISH] This is a fish fattening farm where they grow until they reach market size That's between 350 and 500 grams or between 0.7 and 1.1 pounds.

The water here is cold and constantly flowing.

It's a very clean process and requires a lot of work [SPEAKING SPANISH] [WATER RUNNING] From the time to trouts are born until they reach market size It takes about nine months.

It's a very delicate process.

We take care of them, sorting them until they reach the final consumer which is here in the restaurant where local families work {DAVID} This young woman is bringing me a Sierra Norte meal Gracias This is trout, introduced from the outside but grown right here in this little town of Ixtlan de Juarez [UPLIFTING MUSIC ENDS] [CAR ENGINE] {DAVID} In the last couple of decades the Mexican government has undertaken a program of designating special towns as what they call “Pueblos Magicos”, or Magic Towns They are places that the government and the local people believe are extra special and have a certain magical nature about them This town, Capulalpam is the first Pueblo Magico in the state of Oaxaca.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ELIA MARTINEZ} These are mythological creatures Our grandparents used to tell us that depending on the territory, they could transform into different animals.

This is how we present the myths that are part of our community.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {ARTISAN} Here is our second collection called “Costumbres”, or Tradititions [SOFT MUSIC PLAYING] [BIRDS CHIRIPING] {BRAY} The community of Cuajimoloyas is one of eight communities that compose a single - what is called an agrarian community It used to be a logging community a community that had its forest enterprise but there were actually some conflicts within the community over the logging.

One of the eight communities they didn't want any logging and focus entirely for income generation on water bottling and on community based eco tourism And those 29 thousand acres are really now managed as a community park.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {DR.

JORGE OZORNO} This is an area where we can bike, run, hike in the mountains or go to the community It's a very safe place [SOFT MUSIC] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {COMMUNITY MEMBER} This area here that we go to is between trees, between pines.

So it's a very nice environment to bike especially with the kids.

[SOFT MUSIC] [SPEAKING SPANISH] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {JORGE} So now were going to this place that is a dirt road Here we can ride our bikes I'll go running and they'll bike [SPEAKING SPANISH] [SOFT MUSIC] {DAVID} We're going to a - [ZIPLINE SCREECHING] zip line.

They said it was a short 15 minute walk but at close to 11 thousand feet That's easier for these young men who grew up in the village to say [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {SAMUEL MARTINEZ} We're going to put on this equip this equipment to go on a zip line that's a kilometer long [ZIPLINE SCREECHING] [UPLIFTING MUSIC] [SPEAKING SPANISH] The ride to the second tower takes about a minute [SPEAKING SPANISH] This is economically important and it brings benefits to the co to the community It generates resources that help fund community work and support the elderly.

[MUSIC ENDS] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} It looks like a lot of Milpas there, the cornfields.

{BRAY} There is agriculture in Sierra Norte still But it's, it's very little.

And an interesting thing here.

When somebody abandons the plot, it's allowed to revert to forest So the amount of forest cover here in Cuajimoloyas is - its still continually expanding [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {SAMUEL} We receive funding at the end of the year.

In January, we send resources to the elderly.

The community is interested in reinvesting in building projects because they attract tourists.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] [SPEAKING SPANISH] {TRANSLATION} {JONAS LUIS MARTINEZ} I run the tourist center, and part of my job is the administration of the resources, including the zipline [SPEAKING SPANISH] I have the responsibility to manage the resources well and in the end give a good amount back to the community.

[SPEAKING SPANISH] [ZIPLINE SCREECHING] {DAVID} This is the launching platform.

Its not a- it's not a highly technologically sophisticated launching platform [MUSIC PLAYING] [ZIPLINE SCREECHING] {BRAY} The zipline was actually constructed with funds generated by eco tourism So they are reinvesting the profit from the eco tourism enterprise into expanding the enterprise to generate more income for things like pensions for the elderly {DAVID} When you dont weigh enough, they send out a guide to bring you back, but I could have done that on my own.

No problem.

[MUSIC CONTINUES] {DAVID} In this market in Tlacolula on Sunday you come in here, they have the grills all set up you buy your meat and you bring them the chilies you want You bring the onions you want, And we pick up tortillas and they make a little sauce called Pico de Gallo We go sit down if we can find somewhere and find something to drink and we have a feast.

These are Chile de Agua, “Water Chillies” And these we have to put on the grill so they soften up, and then we roll them up in a tortilla with the meat, and we have the Tlacolula feast.

[MUSIC FADES] The meat is sliced really fine.

These are - tortillas made today It appears to be a chaotic.

It isn't chaotic, its full, its crowded and full of energy.

But it's the way the market is, people coming in from the small towns all around to share gossip, to buy things, to sell things, to renew old acquaintances, to make their respects in the church [MUSIC PLAYING] [CHARCOAL SHAKING] The charcoal they are using comes from the Pueblos in the Sierra del Norte very specifically made out of the oak That is not valuable for a lumber product but highly valuable as charcoal It comes down here and is converted into the great food we find in Tlacolula And throughout the region.

[INSPIRING MUSIC] {DAVID} Throughout the world, the vanishing amount of timber and forest is an alarming phenomenon There is one place in Mexico the Sierra Norte of the state of Oaxaca, where forestry programs, with assistance of outside managers, are actually reversing the flow of carbon and showing that the idea of making a sustainable forest is something that benefits not only them but the whole world as well.

[MUSIC ENDS] {DAVID} Join us next time In the Americas with me, David Yetman {DAVID} In the late 17th century the King of Portugal ordered a 200 mile long road constructed to ship gold from Brazil's interior to the coast at the cost of thousands of lives the labor of tens of thousands of slaves The road begins in the small port city of Paraty just southwest of Rio de Janeiro It ends at Ouro Preto, in the state of Minas Gerais.

[CHILDREN SPEAKING SPANISH] {DAVID} Sitting here with the kids as they look out on a great deal of their huge municipio, their county, which they can see from here, but also, the first time they've seen a drone.

And so this drone was quite a welcome visitor.

The look on their faces is priceless to see their first experience encountering the drone.

[CHILDREN SAYING HELLO IN SPANISH] {ANNOUNCER} Funding for In the Americas with David Yetman was provided by Robert and Carol Dorsey.

[MUSIC] The Guilford Fund.

Arch and Laura Brown.

And Hugh and Joyce Bell.