Costa Rica Expands Marine Protected Area Around Cocos Island

Fuente: blogs.nationalgeographic.com

Autor: Enric Sala, National Geographic Fellow

Fecha: 06/03/2011

Costa Rica has created a huge new marine park that increases five-fold the area of protected waters surrounding Cocos Island–home to some of the highest abundances of sharks and other large ocean predators recorded anywhere. A loophole that permits long-line fishing in some of the newly protected waters, however, may threaten the park’s sharks, tuna, turtles, and other species.

Sharks and other fish crowd the water just off Cocos Island.

Costa Rica has just announced the creation of a large new marine protected area (MPA) around Cocos Island National Park. This new MPA–called the Seamounts Marine Management Area–encompasses a group of deep seamounts located 35 miles south of Cocos, plus other important waters for shark and tuna nearby.

Announcement of the new MPA came after more than a year of discussions between the Costa Rican government and conservation organizations, including National Geographic.

An expedition by the Geographic and local NGO partners in 2009 revealed that Cocos Island National Park has some of the highest abundances of large ocean predators (such as sharks) found anywhere in the world. The expedition team also concluded that illegal fishing inside the park and encroaching fishing pressure outside the park are threatening the biodiversity of this World Heritage Site.

A whale shark dwarfs a diver near Cocos Island.

National Geographic and its Cocos expedition partners–Costa Rica Forever, Marviva, Pretoma, The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Fundación de Amigos de la Isla del Coco–recommended the creation of a no-take marine reserve covering 25,000 square kilometers around Cocos Island National Park. The purpose was to protect key aggregation areas for sharks and tuna, as well as the Las Gemelas seamounts. These seamounts have been fished with lines but not trawled, and therefore have a relatively intact and pristine habitat. The government of Costa Rica instead created a 9,640-square-kilometer MPA that excludes purse seining for tuna, but will allow long-lining for tuna in some of its waters.

This is great news for marine conservation, and a good first step for Costa Rica to fill its gaps in ocean protection. I believe this will not be sufficient to accomplish the goal of protecting Cocos’ extraordinary undersea communities, however, because long-line fishing–which already accounts for the largest amount of illegal fishing at Cocos–will be allowed in much of the new MPA.

The protection of the seamounts south of Cocos Island, by contrast, is a very important step in preserving a sensitive habitat that previously had no protection at all in Costa Rica.

Photos by Octavio Aburto

Certificarán empresas en equidad de género

Fuente: aristotelizar.com

Autor: ComunicaRSE

Fecha: 07/03/2011

Con el objeto de promover el acceso y desarrollo de las mujeres en el mercado laboral, el Instituto Nacional contra la Discriminación, la Xenofobia y el Racismo (INADI), con el apoyo del Banco Mundial, inició la ejecución del Programa Piloto de Certificación de Empresas en Equidad de Género (MEGA 2009) en el marco de la Red de Empresas por la Diversidad. El programa ya se implementó exitosamente en varios países, tales como Chile y Egipto, siendo la experiencia más antigua el GEM 2003 de México.

El lanzamiento del sello MEGA 2009 se realizará conjuntamente con la firma del documento “Responsabilidades de las empresas y compromiso para la obtención del Sello MEGA 2009”, por parte de las 10 compañías que integrarán la propuesta piloto.

“MEGA 2009” es una herramienta que promueve la equidad de género bajo un enfoque participativo que permite el apoyo tanto del personal como de la gerencia, en las empresas donde se implementa.

El Modelo de Equidad de Género para Argentina incluye aspectos de: Selección de personal, Ascenso y formación, Desarrollo profesional, Conciliación vida familiar y laboral, Acoso sexual y clima laboral, Promoción de imagen de equidad. Las empresas interesadas podrán firmar un convenio de adhesión y trabajar en conjunto con especialistas del INADI hacia la obtención del sello “MEGA 2009”, el que será otorgado por una certificadora independiente.

Para este proceso, el INADI ofrece a las compañías:

- Capacitación en las temáticas involucradas en el Modelo de Equidad de Género para Argentina, dirigida al personal y a los niveles gerenciales de la empresa.
- Asistencia técnica para la elaboración del plan de acción y durante la ejecución del mismo.
- Financiamiento de la certificación para la obtención del sello “MEGA 2009”.
- Difusión de buenas prácticas de las empresas y uso del sello.

En América Latina, la participación de las mujeres en el mercado de trabajo se elevó del 29 por ciento en 1980 al 40 por ciento en 2004, siendo actualmente en la Argentina casi del 50 por ciento. Sin embargo, en la práctica las mujeres tienen menores oportunidades que los varones. Hasta en los países más avanzados del mundo el salario promedio de las mujeres es del 73 por ciento del de los varones, y en la Argentina baja al 65 por ciento. Motiva esto la concentración de las mujeres en un menor número de ocupaciones, la dificultad para acceder a los cargos de mayor jerarquía, la falsa creencia de que el costo de contratar mujeres es más alto que en el caso de los varones por los gastos de seguridad social, de bienestar y de cuidado infantil que implica la maternidad, entre otros.

Una mayor equidad de género, entendida como la justicia en el tratamiento de mujeres y varones según sus necesidades, incrementa la productividad laboral y la eficiencia en la distribución del trabajo en los hogares y en la economía, permite aprovechar mejor los recursos, y promueve la disminución de la pobreza y el crecimiento económico. En el sector privado, brindar iguales oportunidades a varones y mujeres permitió mejorar el ambiente de trabajo dentro de las firmas, mejorar la comunicación entre la gerencia y los/as trabajadores e incrementar la productividad de la empresa.

A Growing Role for Tourism in Sustainable Development

Fuente: www.dailyfinance.com

Autor: Tanya Mohn

Fecha: 04/03/2011

Think of environmentally friendly businesses, and you probably think of things like solar power, green building and recycling. But according to a report released last week by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), one of the most promising green industries — at least when it comes to creating economic growth, reducing poverty, fueling job creation and addressing major environmental challenges — turns out to be sustainable tourism.

It’s an interesting conclusion becausetourism isn’t generally considered green. But the U.N. report, titled“Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication,”finds that investing in sustainable tourism could play a big role in creating a green economy. The findings of the report — which includes contributions from the U.N.’s World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), an agency that promotes sustainable tourism development, and economists and experts worldwide — were presented to environmental ministers from more than 100 countries last week in Nairobi, Kenya.

“This is a landmark report. Advancing the sustainable agenda in tourism will allow the sector to strengthen its capacity to continue generating growth and creating jobs worldwide,” UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai said in a statement. “The conclusions of this report corroborate what we at UNWTO have long been advocating for — that the tourism sector can be a lead change agent in the transformation to the green economy.”

Eradicating Poverty

The report’s authors say the development of a green economy could improve human well-being and social equity while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Environmentally friendly businesses could be a key catalyst for growth and poverty eradication in developing countries, where — in some cases — close to 90% of the gross domestic product is linked to natural resources, such as forest and fresh water, according to the report.

“With 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day and with more than 2 billion people being added to the global population by 2050, it is clear that we must continue to develop and grow our economies,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement. “But this development cannot come at the expense of the very life support systems on land, in the oceans or in our atmosphere that sustain our economies, and thus, the lives of each and everyone one of us.”

While tourism is one of the most promising generators of world economic growth, its development is accompanied bysustainability challenges, the report notes. But an investment of 2% of the global GDP per year to sustainable tourism between now and 2050 would allow the sector to reduce water consumption, energy use and carbon-dioxide emissions while continuing to grow steadily and contribute to much-needed economic growth, employment and development, according to the report.

The Economy and the Environment

The report proves that the idea of a “trade-off between economic progress and environmental sustainability was unfounded,” says Sharr Prohaska, a clinical associate professor of hospitality and tourism management at New York University. Based on case studies, the report projects that destinations that plan for sustainable tourism and develop a green economy will outperform other destinations over the long term (meaning 2020 and beyond), even though green investment may initially reduce economic growth in the short term, she says.

The report includes excellent case studies, good analysis and concrete suggestions on how to develop standards and regulation, promote green investment and measure progress toward a green economy, says Prohaska, who specializes in sustainable tourism planning and development. “Tourism, sustainability, and development are all dependent on the conservation of natural resources,” she says.

Still, others suggest the industry has a long way to go. According to a 2009 survey from the U.S. Travel Association’sTravelhorizonsresearch project conducted with Ypartnership, only one out of 10 U.S. leisure travelers base their travel choices on environmental considerations, even though approximately eight of those travelers consider themselves to be environmentally conscious.

“The ‘greening’ of our industry is less about consumer demand and more about doing the right thing,” says Roger Dow, chief executive of the U.S. Travel Association trade group.

“This Is Not a Fad”

But while travelers might be somewhat reluctant to pay more to support green travel service suppliers, they are definitely paying attention to those who are green, the association says. Travelers want green travel choices, but at the right price. And Dow expects the trend to grow.

“This is not a fad, it’s the future of travel in the U.S.,” Dow says. “Numerous travel companies nationwide are already managing sustainability as a business strategy in their day-to-day operations. These companies are achieving meaningful change by delivering their product in a greener, more environmentally friendly way.”

The UNEP’s report could help accelerate the trend toward sustainability, experts say. Studies such as this one “will help decision-makers justify expending resources on, and prioritizing, sustainable travel,” says Brian Mullis, CEO of nonprofit Sustainable Travel International, which recently launched a website,Green.travel, that rates international lodgings, cruises and tours for their eco-friendliness. “The business case for sustainable travel is just getting stronger and stronger.”

Costa Rica es el quinto país de América en competitividad turística

Fuente: www.nacion.com

Autor: Sergio Arce A.

Fecha: 07/03/2011

Costa Rica es el quinto país de América y el segundo de Latinoamérica en competitividad turística, reveló hoy el Foro Económico Mundial.

El organismo, con sede en Suiza, ubicó a nuestro país por debajo de Estados Unidos, Canadá, Barbados y México en su Informe de Competitividad Turística. En el listado del 2009, el país destacó como el primero entre las naciones latinoamericanas.

En el resumen ejecutivo del Informe de Competitividad Turística 2011 se detalla que Costa Rica obtuvo excelente calificación por sus recursos naturales, por contar con un alto porcentaje de áreas protegidas y por su diversa fauna. Se destaca también que logró obtener una alta calificación en desarrollo sostenible, un área donde ha venido mejorando durante los últimos años. Sin embargo, se informa que existen fallas en el sector de salud e higiene, y principalmente en la infraestructura para el transporte terrestre, lo que dificulta los viajes dentro del país.

El Informe de Competitividad Turística se realizó por primera vez en el 2007 -se realiza cada dos años- y consiste en una medida de los factores que hacen atractivo a un país para realizar inversiones o desarrollar negocios en el sector de viajes y turismo. Este año se incluyeron 139 naciones.

A nivel mundial, el ranquin de este 2011 lo lideran Suiza, Alemania y Francia, seguidos por Austria, Suecia, Reino Unido, Estados Unidos, Canadá, España y Singapur.

‘El poder femenino cambia las reglas del juego’

Fuente: www.nacion.com

Autor: Gioconda Belli

Fecha: 03/03/2011

Faguas es un pequeño y subdesarrollado país ficticio en donde todos los puestos de gobierno están ocupados por mujeres, mientras que los hombres se dedican todo el día a las tareas domésticas y el cuidado de los niños. La presidenta Viviana Sansón y su equipo de gobierno del Partido de la Izquierda Erótica (PIE) llegaron al poder con la promesa de “limpiar este país, barrerlo, sacudirlo y lavarle el lodo hasta que brille en su esplendor”.

La renombrada escritora nicaraguense Gioconda Belli conversó con La Nación sobre la trama de su nueva novela, El país de las mujeres, una sátira política sobre las desigualdades de género.

Encontrar mujeres en puestos de poder no es una novedad en Latinoamérica. Aquí mismo, en Costa Rica, tenemos a nuestra primera presidenta. ¿Es eso una garantía real de que las mujeres tengamos el control sobre las decisiones políticas de un país?

Es un avance que tengamos mujeres presidentas en América Latina, pues es un lugar donde el machismo ha reinado durante mucho tiempo. El problema es que cuando llegan al poder se ven obligadas a ejercerlo como si fueran hombres, pues el Estado está concebido y organizado según las necesidades masculinas. Entonces, lo que se necesita para salir del atolladero es poder femenino; es decir, un poder que cambie la reglas del juego. Lo que plantea mi novela es un gobierno que logre que la mujer se incorpore plenamente a la vida productiva. Las mujeres en mi novela llegan al poder sin renunciar a su femineidad, más bien la llevan al extremo pues son supersexis y su propuesta es cambiar totalmente la manera en que funciona la sociedad.

¿Le parece demasiado descabellado o improbable un esquema de gobierno totalmente controlado por mujeres, como sucede en el país imaginario de Faguas?

Mi libro es una sátira política y plantea una situación exagerada para probar una tesis por medio de la ficción. Se trata más bien de una provocación para reflexionar e ironizar sobre una realidad que es bastante absurda.

”A las mujeres se nos exige profesionalmente lo mismo que a los hombres, pero, además, debemos cumplir a la perfección las funciones domésticas. Cuando las mujeres del PIE deciden mandar a los hombres desde sus trabajos a la casa, ellos se dan cuenta de que las tareas del hogar son difíciles, tediosas y que las mujeres las realizan todos los días”.

¿Podríamos profundizar en la trama de El país de las mujeres?

La novela se inicia cuando la protagonista Viviana Sansón, tras ser víctima de un atentado, se despierta en un cuarto y se da cuenta de que ahí están varios de los objetos personales que dejó perdidos en alguna parte durante su vida como tazas, lentes de sol, paraguas, anillos, toallas y que están asociados a experiencias muy importantes. Entonces, ella va recorriendo el cuarto y al toparse con cada uno de estos objetos va reconstruyendo la historia del Partido de la Izquierda Erótica y también su propia vida.

¿Cuáles fueron las reformas implementadas por las mujeres de la Izquierda Erótica?

Son ideas locas, revolucionarias y hasta divertidas, pero en realidad lo que las eróticas pretenden es una sociedad más igualitaria, un gobierno que cuide y se preocupe más por sus ciudadanos. Por ejemplo, ellas instauraron una asignatura llamada ‘maternidad’ en los programas de estudio de los colegiales para que desde adolescentes hombres y mujeres por igual aprendan a cambiar pañales, a sacarles los gases a los niños, a chinearlos, etcétera. También crearon un programa para premiar a los ciudadanos que tuvieran el barrio más limpio con agua y electricidad gratuitas.

¿Hasta dónde cree usted han avanzado las sociedades latinoamericanas en alcanzar condiciones de igualdad para las mujeres?

Se ha avanzado algo, pero todavía estamos muy retrasados. Las estadísticas revelan que el 40% de las mujeres en América Latina dependen económicamente del marido y, además, tenemos un aumento impresionante de la violencia doméstica. Eso tiene que ver con el nuevo rol que ha asumido la mujer en la sociedad pues muchos hombres no lo aceptan o no lo entienden y reaccionan violentamente.

¿Se imagina usted a alguna mujer latinoamericana como Viviana Sansón en estos momentos?

Creo que hay mujeres fantásticas, pero todavía no hay una Viviana Sansón. Por eso, invito a todas las mujeres a visitar el sitio http://www.partidoizquierdaerotica.com y a integrarse al partido.

”El planteamiento detrás de este libro es que trabajemos en un partido global, porque el problema no es nacional, es un problema que nos compete a todas y todos. El partido también está abierto a todos aquellos hombres “eróticos” que tienen todo el derecho a participar como mujeres honorarias (ríe)”.

¿Tenemos las mujeres alguna cuota de responsabilidad en la reproducción de patrones de comportamiento machistas?

Yo no siento que tengamos responsabilidad. Somos víctimas de un esquema que reproducimos sin querer porque esa es la manera “aceptable” de ser en la sociedad. Cuando te salís de ese esquema se paga un precio que no todas las mujeres están dispuestas a pagar.

”A las mujeres se nos ha enseñado que nuestro espacio de poder en es el privado y que el espacio público es territorio exclusivamente masculino, pero eso no debe funcionar así pues la vida pública también nos corresponde”.

Extreme winter weather linked to climate change

Fuente: news.yahoo.com

Autor: Deborah Zabarenko

Fecha: 01/03/2011

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – This winter’s heavy snowfalls and other extreme storms could well be related to increased moisture in the air due to global climate change, a panel of scientists said on Tuesday.

This extra moisture is likely to bring on extraordinary flooding with the onset of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, as deep snowpack melts and expected heavy rains add to seasonal run-off, the scientists said in a telephone briefing.

As the planet warms up, more water from the oceans is evaporated into the atmosphere, said Todd Sanford, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. At the same time, because the atmosphere is warmer, it can hold onto more of the moisture that it takes in.

Intense storms are often the result when the atmosphere reaches its saturation point, Sanford said.

This year, a series of heavy storms over the U.S. Midwest to the Northeast have dropped up to 400 percent of average snows in some locations, said Jeff Masters, director of meteorology at Weather Underground.

The amount of water in that snowpack is among the highest on record, Masters said.

“If you were to take all that water and melt it, it would come out to more than 6 inches over large swaths of the area,” Masters said. “If all that water gets unleashed in a hurry, in a sudden warming, and some heavy rains in the area, we could be looking at record flooding along the Upper Mississippi River and the Red River in North Dakota.”

That tallies with projections by the U.S. National Weather Service, which last month said a large stretch of the north central United States is at risk of moderate to major flooding this spring.

SPRING CREEP

Spring floods could be exacerbated by spring creep, a phenomenon where spring begins earlier than previously.

“We’ve documented in the mountains of the U.S. West that the spring runoff pulse now comes between one and three weeks earlier than it used to 60 years ago,” Masters said. “And that’s because of warmer temperatures tending to melt that snowpack earlier and earlier.”

In the last century, global average temperatures have risen by 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (.8 Celsius). Last year tied for the warmest in the modern record. One place this warmth showed up was in the Arctic, which is a major weather-maker for the Northern Hemisphere, according to Mark Serreze, director of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

One driver of this winter’s “crazy weather,” Serreze said, is an atmospheric pattern known as the Arctic Oscillation, which has moved into what climate scientists call a negative phase.

This phase means there is high pressure over the Arctic and low pressure at mid-latitudes, which makes the Arctic zone relatively warm, but spills cold Arctic air southward to places like the U.S. Midwest and Northeast.

This negative Arctic Oscillation has been evident for two years in a row, the same two winters that have had extreme storms and heavy snowfalls.

It is possible, but not certain, that the negative Arctic Oscillation is linked to warming of the Arctic, which is in turn influenced by a decrease in sea ice cover throughout the region.

The only underlying explanation for these events is climate warming due to heightened greenhouse gas levels, Serreze said.

Los Angeles City Council Unanimously Approves Plan for 1,680 Miles of Bikeways

Fuente: inhabitat.com

Autor: Evelyn Lee

Fecha: 03/03/2011

Fans of human powered bi-peds in the City of Angels rejoice! The Los Angeles City Council just approved a plan calling for 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways. The new undertaking will call for more than 200 miles of new bicycle routes added every five years, making it easier – and more importantly, safer – to peddle two wheels around a city that is infamously known for its automobile grid lock.

The money for the plan is being provided by Measure R, a 2008 sales tax that was put in place to support transportation projects throughout the entire county. In 2009, the City Council made plans to put at least 10% of the city’s share towards initiatives for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The new measure has been drawn-up by city planners and transportation experts, along with significant input from the Los Angeles Bike Coalition and the growing community of bicyclists in the city. The new path forms a central Backbone Bikeway Network making it a lot easier for individuals to shoot across town on two wheels.

NYC Launches “Green House” Program to Help Owners Green Apartment Buildings

Fuente: inhabitat.com

Autor: Jessica Dailey

Fecha: 03/03/2011

Photo credit: Jules Antonio

New York City’s buildings account for 80 percent of greenhouse gases produced by the Big Apple. Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC calls for a 30 percent reduction in emissions by 2030, and his administration has implemented dozens of initiatives to accomplish this, many of which are directed at buildings. Most recently, the city launched the Urban Technology Innovation Center for Green Buildings to fast track sustainable building practices, and now officials have announced the launch of NYC Green House, a training program and comprehensive online resource to help apartment building owners make their buildings more eco-friendly.

Created by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Community Preservation Corporation, NYC Green House is a one stop shop for owners of multi-family buildings that want to go green. The program offers information on how to make existing apartment buildings more energy efficient to help lower costs and reduce emissions. It’s broken down into four categories: energy, water, materials, and community. Each category offers specific tips, like wrapping the hot water heater in insulation to save energy and planting street trees to reduce stormwater runoff, and links to products they should use, like Energy Star appliances and green building materials.

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon

The site also offers a detailed list of tax incentives and financial assistance programs to ensure that all types of apartment buildings, from affordable to luxury, can go green. In the near future, HPD staff and community organizations will offer training workshops specific to each of the categories.

“Our data proves that rising utility costs contribute heavily to the rise in the cost of living and renting in New York City,” said HPD Commissioner Rafael E. Cestero in a published statement. “This new educational program will help building owners identify the measures they can take to ensure their buildings operate more efficiently.”

David Bragdon, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability, added, “We will only achieve our ambitious goals in PlaNYC if building owners, and all citizens, take action. NYC Green House provides individuals with the practical information they need to save money, promote public health, and create greener, greater communities.”

NYC Green House is funded through a grant from HSBC Bank USA. Sponsors include the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Con Edison, National Grid, Enterprise Green Communities, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC, NYC CoolRoofs, the Pratt Center for Community Development, NYCHA and the American Lung Association.

The Fight is still going on over Mexican maize

Fuente: www.greenpeace.org

Autor: Aleira Lara

Fecha: 02/03/2011

It’s been an exciting couple of months in the debate over Mexican maize with some good news for Mexican agriculture and biodiversity. However, the consequences of recent frosts in northern states and the aggressive propaganda of the industry is still putting at risk Mexican’s basic grain. Here’s the latest:

GM free States arising in Mexico:

Because of the lack of interest of federal government to protect the large diversity of Mexican maize against the contamination of GM crop, Michoacán State congress passed by a majority the “Law of Promotion and Protection of Native Maize as Alimentary Patrimony of Michoacán State”, which will allow the protection of 18 of the 59 races of this crop that exist in Mexico. Michoacán is the fourth largest maize producer on a national scale and represents 30 percent of Mexico’s total maize crop area.

Michoacán’s initiative follows the recent approval of the “Law of Promotion and Protection of Native Maize as an original patrimony, in constant diversification, and alimentary for Tlaxcala State”. Both states decided to go ahead with the protection of such an important crop for Mexican society. This process is directly related to the lack of political will of the federal government to promote local production and the fierce interest of multinational companies such as Monsanto, Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow Agroscience to impose GM maize within Mexican territory. We hope that this process will continue and that more and more states will protect their maizes races, especially the northern states that are currently developing GM maize experimental trials such as “Sinaloa” and “Chihuahua”.

Learn more about the origin and diversity of maize in the american continent, Tlaxcala,Michoacán.

Another defeat for Monsanto

In January, the secretary of agriculture announced his decision to deny pilot trials to Monsanto in the State of Sinaloa – principal producer of white corn for human consumption in Mexico. Pilot trials are the next step after the experimental stage.We have been working hard in this state, facing the will of local authorities that are closely linked to the industry and have distributed GM maize propaganda widely within the region.
Recently we’ve released a new report ““Cultivos transgénicos: cero ganancias” (GM crops,zero profit”) in local meetings. Moreover, in 2007 we made a formal complaint to theProcuraduría General de Protección al Ambiente (Profepa) (Environment Protection Agency).We received additional information in 2010 related to the irregularities in GM trials in Sinaloa state. We published this information and we asked for the suspension of experimental trials in the country. Here is the what the government press release had to say: This is why all Federal Government resolutions are based in scientific principles are decided impartially according to the Law of Biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms and all the implications it has of official institutions that are concerned”

Read the whole press release in Spanish.

Biotech industry’s propaganda after bad harvests

On the other side, the consequences of recent frosts in northern states on maize production
and the aggressive propaganda of the industry is still putting Mexican’s basic grain at risk.

Our warnings to the Mexican government have fallen on deaf ears and now the tragic loss of more than 5 millions foods grain confirms our worse fears: a model that neglects and excludes indigenous and small corn producers from public policies, that ignores and doesn’t take care of the ecological production and instead concentrates the nation’s resources in mono-crop industrial agriculture is vulnerable to massive failure. The biotech industry won’t hold back and wants to take advantage of the recent crisis to push forward the planting of its transgenic seeds as the magic tool against climate extremes. We are fighting hard to counter these false statements despite of their strong lobbying. The biotech companies are trying to take advantage of a dramatic situation directly related to the economical model they represent.Our struggle for Mexican maize, people and agriculture is still on, and we hope that this year will be full of victories for our campaign, in order to prevent Mexico to be a center of origin of a basic grain to liberate the GM crop on a commercial scale within its territory.

Image: GM-free maize in Mexico © Greenpeace/Gustavo Graf