Riviera Maya, Q.R. — The World Wildlife Fund reported a donation from the Bezos Earth Fund that will “finance the restoration” of mangroves in Nayarit, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
With a donation from the Bezos Earth Fund, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has committed to work with local communities within the next five years.
The WWF and the Bezos Earth Fund, founded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, made the announcment to restore Mexican mangroves, however, they did not specify the amount of the donation.
“WWF is deeply grateful for this transformative investment and for the impact this commitment will have on millions of people around the world,” said Jorge Rickards, CEO of WWF Mexico.
Mangroves cover more than 905,000 hectares of coastline in Mexico, according to data from the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity.
Mexico is among the ten countries with the greatest mangrove acreage in the world. In recent years, civil associations have denounced companies for ecocide, such as the case with the Salvemos Manglar Tajamar real estate development in Cancun.
The WWF says the areas that will benefit from the donation include the region of Marismas Nacionales in Nayarit, the Río Lagartos Biosphere Reserve and the Dzilam State Reserve in Yucatán and the Yum Balam Flora and Fauna Protection Area in Quintana Roo.
”WWF will work closely with the communities and experts in each country to integrate their information sent by space satellites. This collection of knowledge will help us implement restoration and protection strategies,” said Karen Douthwaite, Lead Oceans Specialist at WWF US.
The organization also mentioned support for Colombia, Fiji and Madagascar, but did not detail the projects or donations for those countries.
Bezos made the announcement of his donation after returning from space, where he said he recognized how fragile Earth’s atmosphere is.
“The atmosphere is so gigantic, but when you are above it, what you see is that it really is very thin. It is a small and fragile thing and as we move around the planet, we are damaging it,” he said.
