Amigos de Sian Ka'an latest achievements!

We are very pleased to announce that our main Mexico partners, Amigos de Sian Ka’an, together with the State and Municipal governments in Quintana Roo succeeded to promote the creation of three new protected areas in the State. On April 11^th, 2011 the following protected areas were officially decreed:

• Cozumel Forest and Wetlands State Reserve (19,846.450 hectares)
• Chichankanab Lagoon State Reserve (11,609.732 hectares)
• Bacalar Lagoon Ecological State Park (about 5 hectares).

CONGRATULATIONS AMIGOS DE SIAN KA’AN and all the people involved in it!!!

GVI is very proud to be partners of such a hard working Organization.

Here is an extract from Amigos de Sian Ka’an Executive Director, Gonzalo Merediz Alonso, letter thanking all the people involved:

"This project would not be a reality without the support and effort of the last two municipal governments in Cozumel headed by the Mayors Juan Carlos González Hernández and Gustavo Ortega Joaquín, and the José María Morelos municipal government leaded by Otto Ventura Osorio. Special recognition deserves the participation of the Cozumel’s society, as well as the communities of Dziuché, Bulukaax and Kantemoh, and the State Property Administration Institute (IPAE). Their support made possible these protected areas to preserve unique endemic species, the aquifer recharge, and to open opportunities of an alternative tourism development with low environmental impact and high positive social impact.

The vision and scientific wealth , based on years of intense work and research , provided by Dr. Alfredo Cuarón and his team were key in the design and promotion of the new Cozumel protected area.

The proposal to create a complex of federal and state protected areas in Cozumel presented by the municipal and state governments to the federal government, and the justification studies to establish Chichankanab were funded by the North American Wetland Conservation Act (NAWCA) and The Nature Conservancy, in addition to Amigos de Sian Ka’an and SEDUMA own funds. The support and participation of the Meso American Reef Tourism Initiative (MARTI) members and the Summit Foundation were also of great help to achieve it.

These great triple news will be strengthen with the process to achieve the federal decree of a marine protected area in Cozumel as part of the most important project in Mexico to integrate conservation, sustainable development, and institutional coordination.

Quintana Roo, México, and the World have high reasons to celebrate this effort to conserve tropical forest and animals that are unique in our planet.

I take the opportunity to sincerely thank the many years effort of the Amigos de Sian Ka’an team to arrive to this point. I specially thank to Albert Franquesa, Miriam Reza and Jose Luis Jiménez, as well as the members of the Board of Directors. Their work in public and behind the scenes was constant, intense, and effective."

Amigos de Sian Ka'an latest achievements!