GREEN ROOF EFFECT - ProMéxico

18 Negocios Photos Courtesy of pronatura
Mexico,
A Megadiverse
Country
Mexico is among the most naturally
diverse countries in the world.
This has not only turned the
country into an attractive
destination, it has also encouraged
multiple initiatives to preserve its
natural richness.
By Karla Juárez
Mexico is recognized around the world for
its natural diversity. It ranks fourth on the
list of 12 countries that possess between 60%
and 70% of known animal and plant species.
This is due to the country’s large variety
of ecosystems: from deserts and forests to
jungles, coastal and marine areas, including
numerous reef chains.
According to the International Convention
of Wetlands and the Treaty of Ramsar signed
in 1971, Mexico counts with 11 out of the 1,675
world’s most important wetland sites.
Mexico is a megadiverse country, making
it a privileged place to develop productive
activities. The variety of its climates, for example,
has enlarged the food industry with
such products as cocoa, tomatoes, prickly
pears and guavas –which play an important
role in the daily diet of millions of people. It
is also a factor that favors the development
of agricultural businesses with competitive
costs and high production levels. Historically,
the country has been one of the main producers
of hydrocarbons and today it is one of
the regions with the biggest potential for the
development of alternative energy sources.
Mexico’s natural richness is, without a
doubt, a competitive advantage for the development
of successful businesses. But it also
implies an enormous responsibility that calls
on the country to protect and conserve the
diversity that characterizes it.
In the last few years, the world has become
more conscious of the need to protect
natural wealth to ensure humanity’s
development and, above all, to guarantee
its future. Mexico has not withdrawn from
this tendency. Within the country there
are more governmental, social and private
initiatives that look to reorient the use of
resources through sustainable methods and
revert the negative impact that industrial activity,
urban development and demographic
growth have had on the environment.
The National Commission of Protected
Natural Areas (CONANP) is in charge of
watching over locations designated as Protected
Natural Areas (ANP). These are ecosystems
of outstanding biodiversity, considered
fundamental for conserving the world’s
environment.
Created in 2000 as an organization decentralized
from the Ministry of the Environment
and Natural Resources (SEMAR-
NAT), CONANP’s mission is to preserve the
country’s natural wealth and promote a culture
of conservation and sustainable development
within every community.
Increasingly it’s the private sector,
through socially responsible Mexican companies,
that are fulfilling actions that contribute
to social, economic and environmentally
viable development. Their activities go
beyond those required by law.
The examples are abundant. In 2000, the
bank Banamex created its own ecological association
with the goal of contributing to the
safety of protected natural areas, endangered
species and water. It’s a group committed to
preserving the environment and promoting
sustainable development of communities.
Other companies, like Productos Internacionales
Mabe, integrate materials and actions
that help reduce their activities’ impact
on nature. These include systems that save
energy, the reuse of wastewater and garbage
management. In 2002, all of these efforts
were awarded by the Federal Attorney’s Office
of Environmental Protection, the Mexican
government agency in charge of compliance
with environmental laws.
In addition Productos Internacionales Mabe,
as well as other companies like Grupo Bimbo
and Wal-Mart of Mexico, have undertaken diverse
programs to help reforest the country.
For CONANP, it’s important that all of society’s
sectors join the care of the country’s
most representative ecosystems. The agency
is in charge of formulating, promoting, directing,
negotiating and supervising programs
and projects with this goal. Among
its priority projects is the monitoring and
watching over the biological diversity, the
communities, ecosystems and the natural
changes with ANPs.
Since the 1990s, the Mexican government
and the World Bank have looked for funding
for the conservation of the country’s ecosystems.
The Protected Natural Areas Fund
(FANP) was created as part of the Mexican
Nature Conservation Fund.
FANP is funded by endowment monies
and the interest generated each year is used
to support the conservation of Protected
Natural Areas. To date, this fund has 67.7 million
usd, obtained mainly through contributions
from the Global Environment Facility,
the Mexican government, private foundations
and state governments. With these resources,
23 protected natural areas throughout
the country are guarded. The fund has
been internationally recognized for its good
quality performance.
Firms involved in the protection of ANPs are
labeled as a “green company” by CONANP. This
is done by printing the company’s name or logo
in one of the agency’s different publications.
The commission can’t directly deduct
taxes for those that participate. But it does
it through the civil associations authorized
by the Ministry of the Treasury and Public
Credit (SHCP) along with SEMARNAT to
work on behalf of the environment, in particular
with Protected Natural Areas.
CONANP is hoping that in six years a national
system of protected areas made up of
representatives from the government, civil
associations and communities near these
natural environments is consolidated. All of
this actions share the common goal of conserving
Mexico’s natural wealth. n