May 13, 2026
Mérida, Mexico — Today, the government of Yucatán and a broad coalition of partners, including WWF, celebrated a new initiative to permanently conserve and strengthen the management of more than 1.4 million acres of protected areas and enable sustainable community livelihoods through a new initiative called Herencia Maya. In a land famous for its cenotes—enormous underwater springs—Herencia Maya secures quality freshwater sources for more than a million inhabitants of Yucatán and countless wildlife. It also conserves more than 170 miles of Yucatán’s northern coast, including critical mangrove areas. The initiative will bring economic and ecological benefits to local communities living within protected areas, ensuring that cultural identity and nature sustain each other.
Today’s announcement reflects the efforts of multiple partners in collaboration with the State Government of Yucatán, the Municipality of Mérida, Natural Spaces and Sustainable Development (Endesu), and WWF, including Bepensa Corporation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Enduring Earth, Marshall Field, Global Environment Facility (GEF), HP Inc., Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Mexican Federal Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SERMARNAT), the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), Richard and Anna Marie Rosen, The Nature Conservancy, Pronatura Yucatan Peninsula, A.C. (PPY), and Jeff and Laurie Ubben.
“Herencia Maya, an initiative promoted within Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena’s Maya Renaissance vision, establishes the first Project Finance for Permanence scheme at the subnational level in Mexico. The project strengthens the conservation of Yucatán’s Protected Natural Areas, safeguarding ecosystems, biodiversity, and strategic aquifers such as the Ring of Cenotes, while also securing long-term funding to protect the state’s natural heritage and promote sustainable development,” notes Neyra Silva Rosado, Secretary of Sustainable Development of Yucatán.
Herencia Maya, part of the larger Enduring Earth collaboration, is the first Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) initiative led by a state government, showing how subnational leadership can help meet global conservation targets. By strengthening the management of natural areas and reserves that fall outside federal jurisdiction, Herencia Maya ensures state and municipal areas contribute to Mexico’s ambitious 30×30 targets while prioritizing the livelihoods of the communities that inhabit them.
“The work that we do in our communities is an effort to preserve our heritage—the knowledge our families have passed down to us,” says Berta Silvia Canul Diaz, a member of Las Vecinas, a group of melipona beekeepers in Tzucacab. “From those who grow crops in the Milpa to our group of women who practice meliponiculture, everything we do preserves local livelihoods. We want future generations to learn and value this knowledge so that, in time, they can carry them out and pass them on.”
Herencia Maya integrates cultural identity, traditional knowledge, and Indigenous governance as essential parts of durable conservation—particularly when nearly 40% of the population living in Yucatán’s protected areas are Indigenous peoples. It recognizes that protecting ecosystems also means safeguarding long-standing sustainable practices, farming systems, and community values rooted in the Maya worldview. This includes training and market access for locally produced goods, with a focus on beekeeping, sustainable fisheries, the practice of the Mayan milpa system of agroforestry, and ecotourism.
Countless wildlife also finds a home in Yucatán’s mangrove-sheltered coastlines and the Selva Maya tropical forest. By strengthening the management of these protected areas, Herencia Maya preserves critical habitats for hundreds of endemic and migratory species—like American flamingoes and loggerhead sea turtles—including nursery areas for the peninsula’s jaguar population. Stronger protection and management of over 170 miles of Yucatán’s shoreline and more than 130,000 acres of mangroves will also increase coastal community and ecosystem resilience to climate change.
“The 30×30 agenda responds to one of the most urgent challenges of our time: the loss of biodiversity crisis. This is not only an environmental issue—it is a direct threat to the well-being, security, and future of people everywhere,” said María José Villanueva, Country Director of WWF-Mexico. “Herencia Maya demonstrates how subnational action can drive progress toward global commitments, while safeguarding the livelihoods, cultural heritage, and knowledge of local communities. The scale of the challenge is immense, but this initiative proves what is possible when we work together with purpose and ambition.”
“Conservation at this scale requires bringing everyone to the table—government, communities, and partners who understand that protecting nature helps people,” said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of WWF-US. “Herencia Maya secures more than a million acres and the freshwater that sustains more than a million lives. And it does so with the kind of durable financing and local leadership that ensures these places endure generations to come.”
Herencia Maya employs the PFP approach, which secures the policies and funding for conservation success in a single agreement so that systems of conservation areas are well-managed, sustainably financed, and benefit the communities that rely on them. The five-year initiative is supported by USD$12.6million in funding.
Herencia Maya is part of the growing community of PFP initiatives that are locally designed and led, and supported by Enduring Earth, a bold collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, The Pew Charitable Trusts, World Wildlife Fund, and ZOMA LAB. Using the PFP model, Enduring Earth partners with governments, communities, Indigenous peoples, and funders to accelerate conservation and sustainable development, address biodiversity loss, secure durable financing, and enhance economic growth.
Herencia Maya is the seventh PFP initiative under Enduring Earth, working with local leadership to durably finance and conserve a total of 520 million acres of lands and waters in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, and Mongolia since its launch in 2021, and securing more than $1.7 billion in sustainable finance for nature and people.
Read the full announcement here.
