Business

CESMO - A Volkswagen Group CSR project

Protection and preservation of biodiversity in Mexico

September 03rd, 2018
Ilaria Zornada, News from Berlin
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Throughout the world, the Volkswagen Group is involved in over 100 CSR projects in the fields of education, science, equal opportunities, health, culture and arts, voluntary work, environmental protection, regional support, sports and traffic education.

Their key project is CESMO - Corredor Ecológico de la Sierra Madre Oriental, a corridor for the protection and preservation of flora and fauna in North-East Mexico.

About 650 vulnerable plant and animal species have their habitat there and they are endangered by the expansion of farmland and growing urbanization.

The Volkswagen Group is the first private sponsor of the project and has allocated already €260,000.

Within the project, about 1,000 young environmental ambassadors have been trained in this region since 2014. They have learned about the reforestation, river cleaning and monitoring of endangered species. The goal of these ambassadors, called the “EcoChavos” (literally “environmental youths”), is to raise awareness of the importance of nature and environmental protection and conservation as well as to sensitize people to their surroundings.

Specifically, 30 “EcoChavos” groups have implemented 32 projects including the adoption of 30 hectares of forests, the planting of bamboo and the cleaning of a river bed.

With this project and with the advice and support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Volkswagen is contributing to achieving the goals of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
For 10 years, Volkswagen de México has supported Mexican scientists in the conservation of vulnerable plant and animal species. The Volkswagen Award, Por Amor al Planeta (For the Love of the Planet), has been awarded to 11 leading Mexican scientists, in recognition of their positive contributions to the environment and in the training of new generations of researchers.

At end of 2016, they renewed their program of support for the protection of biodiversity in Mexico, opening the call for projects throughout the country, with a wide dissemination on social networks under the slogan "Por Amor a Mexico" (For Love of Mexico)

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News from Berlin