The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of the State of Querétaro and Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda I.A.P. presented a declaration to conserve Mexico’s natural heritage. This project will promote actions to mitigate climate change, regenerate nature and its capacity to provide environmental services with the aim of replicating the Queretaro model in other states in the country. Collaboration between government, civil society and communities will be strengthened in actions that will result in the fight against poverty, the effects of global warming, and very importantly, the protection of ecosystems and their biodiversity with a subnational agenda.

The virtual meeting brought together 104 participants, including representatives of federal states, heads of the Ministries of the Environment, Economic Development, Sustainable Development and Agriculture, civil society organizations and academic institutions. Among those invited were participants from Mexico, the United States, American Samoa, Argentina, Germany, Spain and Guatemala. So far, 7 states (Chiapas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Nuevo León, Estado de México) have expressed interest in adhering to the Declaration and replicating the Querétaro Model, and follow-up meetings are being scheduled.

In this monthly newsletter we want to honor an extraordinary Mexican who managed to sow hope in so many human beings, Gilberto Bosques Saldívar 1892-1995, his trajectory left a trail of love. We tell his story at the headquarters of the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda IAP in Jalpan de Serra, having dedicated the space of the “meeting circle” in his name thanks to the support of Jerold Kellman, so that this open-air space can be used for meetings and courses for the benefit of the mountain community.

“His great humanitarian work is recognized internationally, because thanks to him thousands of people found refuge and started a new life. With his personal mission, which he fulfilled with all passion and conscience, he made it ‘the duty of Mexican foreign policy to save as many anti-fascist refugees who knocked on the doors of the Mexican consulate.”

We have maintained a regular presence in the areas that the Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda I.A.P. guards as private reserves, where life has a real refuge thanks to the support of the World Land Trust. On the one hand, we have the enormous satisfaction that there is not a single tree cut down in them because chainsaws are a thing of the past, natural regeneration is vigorous thanks to the absence of cattle; puma and jaguar tracks are commonplace and even the black bears that now live again in Querétaro are part of the neighborhood. On the other hand, the degradation of the Sierra Gorda and its ecosystems continues unabated given the complete vacuum of environmental authority. It is only a matter of passing our borders to find that logging may be illegal but it is very public and voracious, or bad cattle ranching practices continue to provoke deforestation and degradation of forests and jungle. It is in our hands to make a real difference.

We were honored to receive the visit of Lic. Vanessa González Deister, Director of Fomento Social Citibanamex for a visit and interview with beneficiaries of the Ruta del Sabor, the Los Sauces camp in Ayutla, Arroyo Seco, the herbal and natural remedies workshop “Remedios Valen” in Carrizal de los Sánchez and the embroidery workshop with motifs from nature, made up of women from the community of La Colgada, Pinal de Amoles, for whom the support of Fomento Social Citibanamex has been essential in the consolidation of their micro-enterprises.

In all of them, the women are the owners, operators and administrators of their micro-enterprises, which is why they are projects that are committed to training and with a gender focus, adding to local entrepreneurship. We would like to extend our complete gratitude and appreciation for the supportive support of Fomento Social Citibanamex, which since 2012 has been a fundamental partner and ally for our work and the microenterprises in the Sierra Gorda.

We held the “Good food production practices” camp with the participation of 17 young people from the Universidad Tecnológica de San Juan del Río, Jalpan Unit. This 2-day camp raised awareness among the students, who learned about the biodiversity of the Sierra Gorda, and shared tools for environmental care. During the visit to the Rancho Suelo Vivo they participated in the elaboratio

n of compost, learned about the soil regeneration model and the process of food production and the care of seedlings. Wait for news and participate in one of our events throughout the year!

The Environmental Education program began the distribution of plants for school and community reforestation, delivering trees to the communities of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. The objective is to improve the aesthetic conditions and regulate the temperature in their communities, strengthening or creating green areas, through the planting of forest and ornamental trees, sensitizing the population to the care and conservation of their environment. As the drought continues and the rains are very scarce, plants are only being delivered where they can be assisted with irrigation, waiting for the rains to become generalized in the next few days.