Beijing, 7 sep (EFE).-the Minister of environment of Mexico, Juan Rafael Elvira, today told Efe that he agrees with the position of the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, that APEC should not only undertake economic cooperation issues, but also conserve natural resources which are vital for all countries.
“Caring for trees fights poverty, creates green jobs, reduces migration, improves rate of surrounding communities, gives opportunities for development, allows to develop another type of micro-entrepreneurs who take care of the forests and exploit them sustainably,” said Elvira.
Minister participated yesterday and today at the first meeting of the Forum of Pacific Asia economic cooperation (APEC) held in Beijing on forestry sustainable development in the region Asia Pacific.
The owner of the Ministry of environment and natural resources Mexican believes that his country had many things to learn from China on environmental issues and that both countries are working for the integration of a memorandum of understanding expected to be soon.
“Our goal is that in the next 10 years, including this one, can reverse the rate of deforestation to zero, and want to work with China not only the topic of reforestation and conservation of forests, but also of sustainable forest production,” said Elvira.
In 2007, the leaders of APEC countries established the objective of increasing the region’s total forest area by the year 2020 at 20 million hectares
Currently Mexico has as its major instruments for combating deforestation programme “Pro-árbol”, which includes reforestation, the restoration and conservation of forests; the Decree of protected natural areas and other policies to develop areas intended for the conservation of the living wild.
On this last issue, the Minister explained that his country has developed programs as pay to the owners of trees to make maintain them vigorous and healthy, or as a return to its original condition of forest ranches were agricultural or livestock but which did not do a good development.
Through Pro-árbol, Mexico this developing more than four million hectares of forests in a sustainable way; at the time that China, first forest planter in the world, handles 61 million hectares.
After the meeting on climate change for the United Nations Organization (UN) in Cancun at the end of last November, Mexico has received around 70 million dollars to benefit environmental.
The current APEC environment ministerial meeting is the first of its kind, co-patrocinada by China and Mexico and coincides with the celebration of the international year of Forests 2011.
The 21 APEC countries have 53 percent of the world’s forests, 60 percent of the production of forest products and 80 percent of trade in these products.
21 Member countries of APEC (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea South, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, USA, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Chile, Peru, Russia and Viet Nam) are responsible for half of world trade and the 60 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide.
The Minister of environment of Mexico, Juan Rafael Elvira Quezada. EFE/file
