This winter we received the 2019 national Honorable Recognition on Conservation of Nature from the federal government of Mexico bringing much joy to our team. The challenges the planet has to preserve our biodiversity are huge and moments of recognition like this one inspire us. We know we have a great team of passionate people, and we also know the responsibility we carry, so to be recognized at a national level just encourages us to continue with our long-standing goals to renew, restore, and reconnect the Colorado River Delta.
This special recognition is the most important national award in the conservation and protection of natural resources field in Mexico, and is earned by citizens and organizations working to preserve the biodiversity of Mexico’s protected areas. The National Commission for Protected Areas (CONANP) of the Ministry of Natural Resources, which is part of Mexico’s federal government, has been giving the awards and recognitions each year since 2002.
One Award and one Honorable Recognition is given in each of six categories: Individuals, Non-Profit Organizations, Research, Communication, and Business. Sonoran Institute received the Honorable Recognition in the Non-Profit Organization category after submitting the required CONANP information, which was later reviewed by an expert panel of judges. In our testimony, we highlighted our major successes over the past 17 years of work in the Colorado River Delta, including our achievements in restoration, monitoring, and our commitment to work alongside local communities. The importance of collaboration as a bi-national organization was emphasized in our Honorable Recognition given the relevance of projects preserving water in strategic regions, like the Mexico-US border.
This award was only possible thanks to the support and coordination with other NGOs, univeristies, government and, of course, our donors in Mexico and the US. We celebrated the achievement by sharing the news at our yearly Christmas posada in Mexicali with most of our partners. The media was invited since they also have been supporting our work for several years, and Televisa Mexicali did a feature story that was shared on their TV news channel and social media.
To build on our success, we will continue to use our strong partnerships to collaborate with many important groups on projects where we can make a positive difference. We are working on new ideas to bring communities, businesses, governments, and organizations together to ensure future generations will enjoy improved water and air quality in Mexicali and throughout the Colorado River basin.
Blog post by: Rocio Torres Moguel, Mexicali Office Director.