The Lerma-Chapala Basin Action Plan (LCBAP) is a set of crafted guidelines, directed to address the root causes of the complex problems affecting this 52,000 km² basin, a complex territory of high relevance in terms of biodiversity, human population, GNP generation, environmental services, industry and agriculture production, which includes 4 of the largest Mexican lakes (Cuitzeo, Patzcuaro, Yuriria and Chapala). It’s based on two main components: Territorial Management and Governance Improvement.
The LCBAP was developed as a result of an analysis and discussion process conducted from 2022 to 2024, which involved dozens of national and international institutions (from Mexico, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the Philippines, and Japan), including 80 internationally renowned scientists and basin managers, whose areas of expertise include, among others, watershed and lentic water bodies management, ecological restoration, governance, and project financing. Equally valuable were input from user sectors of the basin (farmers, ranchers, fishermen, tourism service providers, and civil organizations, among others). The process included the organization of the Lerma-Chapala Basin International Symposium and Public Forum, Solutions for a Territory in Crisis, held from March 22 to 24, 2023, in a collaborative effort between the Corazón de la Tierra Institute and the Permanent Seminar on Water Studies at ITESO, with support from institutions in Mexico and Germany.
This document includes 2 Components, 27 Lines of Action and 115 Specific Actions to address the causes of the complex problems affecting the rivers and lakes of the basin, within specific temporal horizons (short, medium and long term) and 3 territorial levels ( The basin as a whole; its 19 sub-basins and Environmental Management Units (EMU) defined through participative processes by the government and stakeholders).
The LCBAP is designed as a practical instrument for strengthening governance, involving both government institutions and watershed sectors to address aspects of information, participation, institutions, management policies, technology, and financing, based on a watershed vision that considers the characteristics and complexities of this vast territory.
The Action Plan was publicly presented in July 2024 by a Steering Committee whose main tasks are to actively promote it, developing sub-basins’ implementing processes and to get funding to foster the LCBAP as its implementation at sub-basins and EMU levels. Simultaneously a Promotion plan and a Funding plan have been structured, so far securing 100.000 euros and a functional network that includes government agencies, academia, NGOs, private sector and landowners.