[Aztlan] New Alliance to Help Conserve Mexico's Cultural & Biological Diversity

[Elaine Schele]

Public-Private-NGO Conservation Alliance Invests $100 Million in Mexico

QUINTANA ROO, Mexico, June 4, 2009 (ENS) – To establish Mexico as a
global model for conservation, a new alliance today announced an
initial investment of US$100 million for the promotion of sustainable
development and protection of biodiversity in six priority regions.
The global conservation group WWF, along with the foundation
established by telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim, and the Mexican
federal government, launched the initiative to support conservation in
areas of exceptional natural richness.

"Mexico is home to 10 percent of the Earth's species and this wealth
of diversity is important not only for Mexico's ecosystems, but for
the people here who depend on these resources for their social,
economic and physical well-being," said WWF President and CEO Carter
Roberts. This is the largest private financial commitment from an
individual ever made in support of conservation and sustainable
development in Mexico," said Omar Vidal, director of WWF-Mexico.

"This alliance between the private sector, NGOs and government is
exactly the kind of partnership that WWF sees as the model for
transforming the way we conserve our special places and balance the
needs of people and nature around the world," Vidal said. The work of
the alliance will include efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate
change, develop comprehensive water management policies, strengthen
civil society, develop innovative financial mechanisms, and invest in
local sustainable economies.

"This alliance also underscores Mexico's rising leadership in global
negotiations on the design of new financial mechanisms to help
developing nations confront and adapt to climate change," Roberts
said. An assessment of the major issues and recommended actions was
developed based on consultation with more than 100 government and
civil society experts across the selected regions.

The six regions - the Gulf of California, Chihuahuan Desert,
Mesoamerican Reef of Mexico, the Monarch Butterfly Region, and the
states of Chiapas and Oaxaca - collectively represent 30 percent of
the country.

Visit http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2009/2009-06-04-02.asp for
photos and the rest of the story.

Elaine
http://volunteermayameetings.blogspot.com/