Bat Conservation International and CEMEX have formally recognized their collaborative efforts to protect and restore natural areas while enhancing community livelihoods in Northeast Mexico by signing a MoU.
10.21.21
Bat Conservation International and CEMEX have formally recognized their collaborative efforts to protect and restore natural areas while enhancing community livelihoods in Northeast Mexico by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This MoU builds on the incredible success that Bat Conservation International and CEMEX have had since Bat Conservation International led a meeting in Monterrey, Mexico in May 2019, which has included restoring community greenhouses for the propagation of agaves and other locally important plants, establishing a 4-hectare protected area where 500 agaves have been planted, collecting over 150,000 agave seeds for restoration efforts, and creating 70 jobs for local community members.
Moving forward, this partnership will allow Bat Conservation International and CEMEX to leverage their combined resources to work in partnership with communities to implement exclusions for improving forest and scrubland habitat, establish new community nurseries for growing 150,000 agave seedlings, and plant 200,000 agave plants for landscape-level impact.
Bat Conservation International’s Agave Restoration Initiative works at a landscape scale to protect and restore healthy, functioning ecosystems that support local livelihoods and well as biodiversity.
By working with a diverse set of partners from the US and Mexico, this initiative builds strong local support in key areas that enables us to identify culturally and environmentally suitable sites and strategies for agave restoration actions.
These actions are not only necessary to create resilient nectar corridors for migratory movements of nectarivorous bats, but also to support local community enterprises through investment in infrastructure (e.g. community greenhouses), business opportunities, and sustainable livelihoods (investment and training in best-practice sustainable agricultural and ranching techniques).
About Bat Conservation International:
Founded in 1982, Bat Conservation International is a global conservation organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions. Bat Conservation International works worldwide to conserve caves, restore critical habitats in danger, and ensure the survival of the world’s bat species. For more information, visit batcon.org.
Media Contact: Javier Folgar
Tel: 512.327.9721 Ext. 410
Email: jfolgar@batcon.org
About CEMEX
CEMEX is a global building materials company that offers high-quality products and reliable services. CEMEX has a history of benefiting those it serves through innovative construction solutions, efficiency improvements, and efforts to promote a sustainable future. For more information on CEMEX, please visit cemex.com