March 3, 2015

By Martha Isabel “Pati” Ruiz Corzo. We are currently in Managua, Nicaragua, participating in a Global Environment Facility assembly (GEF), an international organization in which 122 countries have been participating for 23 years, with financial resources to develop environmental projects at a global level. Currently the lines of work involve climate change, soil degradation and the conservation of biodiversity at a global level. Sharing with Latin American NGOs, learning about how the complicated mechanisms to which we wish to link our proposals for Mexico work. In particular, for Sierra Gorda, with the experience that we gained through executing a full sized GEF project for 8 years, with many experiences to share. We are aware of the demanding requisites needed to operate resources of this nature, the continuous reports, exhausting external audits in which all operational and financial records are submitted to the scrutiny of the executing organization. Additionally, the matching funds that must be raised require tremendous efforts of coordination of the financial resources and of partners participating in the project. Public and private funds are involved as well as civil society participation. For every dollar that the GEF provides, 7 dollars have to match in kind and in cash. Therefore, for organizations bids to be successful, they should have social capital, an innovative project, tools for networking among multiple actors, and be able to count on capacities for the execution of the projects, and be organizations with a successful trajectory.  Currently we are searching for new financing for the replication of four strategic lines of work of the Sierra Gorda experience and take these successful tools to other states of the country: regenerative management of soils, with cutting edge tools that can be used to recuperate farm productivity, at the same time promoting capture of water and carbon, forming stores for these in lands in regeneration. We promote state mechanism of carbon offsets in soils and forests, in which the proprietors receive incentives for the provision of ecosystem services, ensuring the recuperation of degraded forests through the exclusion of grazing cattle under forests, also by removing the threat posed by man-made fires. We are working towards the development of tourism micro entrepreneurs, alleviating extreme poverty, giving them the capabilities to offer good quality services and work towards the valuation of scenic beauty in favour of its proprietors. And of course, the strengthening of the civil society to which I belong and in which I believe. As grave environmental problems increase, our home the Earth is so abused by the utilitarian interests of our insatiable consumer society, demanding the sacrifice of more of the planet, these problems can only be confronted by citizens who are conscious and involved in finding solutions. So we hope that providence acts in our favour and votes in favour of Sierra Gorda, which is ready to share its tools and knowledge, as we aim to raise a national wave of action. Our dream is to turn Mexico green.