Yucatan is becoming a greener, cleaner and more sustainable state, thanks to Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal’s promotion of initiatives that protect the environment, biodiversity and natural resources of the territory.
Hand in hand with the people of Yucatan, during 2022, Vila Dosal led a project to put hands to work in the conservation of the environment, to offer a greener entity to the next generations, as a result of conservation plans, solid waste management, cleanup days and alliances with global organizations that contribute to this mission.
During the administration, historic steps were taken, such as the Metropolitan Waste Management System, which addresses the problem of solid waste in Conkal, Progreso, Kanasín, Tixpéual, Ucú, Umán and Mérida, municipalities where 62% of Yucatán’s garbage is generated; It also contemplates the closure of open-air dumps, the establishment of transfer stations, the promotion of differentiated collection and equipment to improve garbage collection, going from having 7 final disposal sites to only one, in the Yucatan capital’s Sanitary Landfill.
The Ecosystem Recovery and Conservation Strategy was presented, focused on the protection and rescue of ecosystems, with their diversity of plants and animals, through the planning, development and execution of schemes to take care of the most important reserves and zones, as well as to guarantee carbon capture in them, in search of direct and indirect benefits for the communities.
Working as a team, citizens joined forces for a greener state with the “United Cleaning Yucatán” mega-day, which brought together more than 10,000 volunteers and was the first of its kind nationwide, on more than 1,400 linear kilometers of highways, as part of Yucatán Zero Waste.
As part of the Waste Management Program, Vila Dosal delivered to the 106 districts a personalized scheme to address the problems of their locality and, together, to continue collaborating in the matter, with which the entity became the first in the country to have particular tools for each locality, in collaboration with the Marist and Metropolitan Technological Universities (UTM), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to address the needs of each district.
He launched the Alacranes Reef National Park Management Project, through which, in a historical fact, he carries out monitoring, prevention, control and eradication actions of invasive species, in order to reduce the effects of human activity and strengthen protection in the area; park rangers, boats and equipment were provided, and tasks began to protect the largest coral reef structure in the Gulf of Mexico and take an important step in environmental care.
Since last June, the Governor provided a team of 6 park rangers, with degrees in Marine Biology and postgraduate studies in Marine Sciences; he delivered 3 boats, radio and satellite communication systems, autonomous diving equipment for 3 people and Internet to contact land, and promotes the use of ecological panels and engines, to reduce the impacts to this important ecosystem.
Likewise, the state became the first in the Republic to have a law to combat climate change, which the Governor sent as a result of coordination with UK Pact, developed through an exercise of broad citizen participation, in accordance with the General Law on Climate Change of the Federation, guidelines framed in the Paris and Escazu Agreements, the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Vila Dosal participated in COP15 of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada, in order to exchange initiatives and seek funding to protect local natural wealth, as well as in the World Congress of Local Governments for Sustainability (Iclei), where Yucatán adhered to the Malmö Commitment, which promotes transversal actions for climate care and incorporates social equity in public policies.
More actions have been carried out to care for ecosystems, with programs such as Yucatan Zero Waste, the implementation of the State Policy for the Integral Management of Seas and Coasts, the collaboration of the British organization rePlanet in a project to restore a mangrove area and generate carbon credits, as well as the presence at the South-Southeast Governors’ Meeting with the Embassy of the United States of America.
In alliance with Tech4Nature, Yucatan became the first region in Latin America to make use of the latest in digital technology, through 15 camera traps and 70 audiomoths installed in the Dzilam de Bravo Reserve, with which information is obtained for the conservation of the environment and animals; with the development of protection plans and the Chaac Project, the aim is to restore 50,000 hectares of mangroves in the territory.
As a result of the impulse given to the Yucatecan countryside in a sustainable manner, the Maya milpa received global recognition from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the complexity of this model, which includes the combined cultivation of beans, squash and, mainly, corn, the basis of the regional diet since ancestral times.
The designation of this as an Important System of World Agricultural Heritage (Sipam) is the result of the work of the producers, which has transcended for more than 3,000 years, as an integral part of the identity of the area; it is characterized by its resilience to climate changes and modernity, long life and contributions to the conservation of both the culture and biodiversity of the Peninsula.
Likewise, in a new sum of efforts, the state administration and the City Hall of Renan Barrera Concha will build the first Public Veterinary Hospital in all of southeastern Mexico, as part of the agreements of the Merida 2050 Declaration; through a joint investment of more than 15 million pesos, specialized and comprehensive care will be provided to the pets of Yucatecans.
In this way, Vila Dosal reaffirms his commitment to transform Yucatan into an increasingly green and sustainable territory, where the protection of natural resources and those who live in it is ensured, to offer better conditions for future generations.
TYT Newsroom
