- More than 80 volunteers planted 500 sweet acacias, a species native to the region.
- The activity is part of the Fernandez Canyon natural park conservation program, in alliance with Pronatura Noreste.
Durango, March 13, 2023.- Iberdrola México conducted reforestation activities in the Fernández Canyon (Cañón de Fernández) as part of the conservation program of this natural park in the state of Durango in alliance with Pronatura Noreste and the Cíclica.
More than 80 people attended the event including volunteers from Iberdrola Mexico’s La Laguna II plant and their family members, students at the CBATIS 59 in Gómez Palacio, and local authorities, who planted 500 sweet acacias, a species native to the region.
“Iberdrola México engages with the communities where it has a presence to trigger development. With this volunteer effort, we approached the Fernandez Canyon and its residents, while we helped to reduce the carbon footprint,” said José Juan Rivera, manager of the La Laguna II combined cycle plant located in Durango.
Through reforestation activities driven by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at Iberdrola México, in 2022, the company planted over 5,000 trees in states including Guanajuato, Nuevo León, and Oaxaca, thus reflecting its commitment to protect the environment and combat climate change.
Fernandez Canyon was declared a Natural Protected Area (NPA) in 2004 and consists of 17,000 hectares housing three different ecosystems with trees more than 1,300 years old, such as the Montezuma cypress -also known as the ahuehuete- and varied species of fauna and birds such as Canadian ducks, red-tailed eagles, and ospreys.
The Fernández Canyon conservation program conducted by Iberdrola México is comprised of three lines of work: ecosystem conservation, control of exotic species such as reeds (native to Asia), and the training of community groups to set up infrastructure and equipment to regulate and manage usage of the state park by the public and tourism.
«The reforestation of the Canyon is one more facet of the ambitious conservation plan for this natural park launched by Iberdrola México, which has so far managed to control and eradicate more than 16,000 square meters of common reed, along with other accomplishments”, said biologist Lizeth Álvarez, head of the Fernandez Canyon project at the Pronatura Noreste organization.
The project started in 2019 with and investment of six million pesos up to 2024 to protect 580 flora and fauna species and positively impact more than 25,000 people in the region: 10,000 direct beneficiaries in the surrounding communities, 2,000 new jobs created during the five years of the project, and 13,000 visitors to the Fernández Canyon.
With this program, Iberdrola México contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically number 13 -Climate Action, 15 -Life on Land, and 17-Partnership for the Goals-.
