Preserving Our Environment
PROTECTING COASTAL MARINE ENVIRONMENTS IN BAHIA DE LOS ANGELES, BC, MEXICO, AND LAS PERLAS, PANAMA
ICF grantee, Pronatura Noroeste, A.C., accomplished its goal of securing the designation of Bahía de Los Angeles in Baja California as a marine protected area. The Bahía de Los Angeles Biosphere Reserve covers more than 950,000 acres including Bahía de Los Angeles, the Ballenas and Salsipuedes canals, and other beaches and coastal wetland areas.
Over-fishing of these areas made it difficult for locals to support themselves. Conservationists and proponents of the reserve believe that the designation will help increase tourism and bring economic development to the area. Pronatura Noroeste and the Mexican Foundation for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN) have jointly raised close to $2 million to pay for administrative costs and hope to raise an additional $2 million to cover the costs of marine patrols.
Successful marine conservation efforts have also materialized in Panama, where ICF expanded its support in 2006. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama City led the scientific documentation and reserve design process to create the marine protected area status for the “Las Perlas” (The Pearl) islands and the surrounding marine habitat, totaling more than 417,000 acres of coastal marine habitat.
ICF donors funded several projects in Las Perlas in 2006-2007, including community development projects to train future ecotourism guides and a green iguana breeding project. Working with these local communities was essential to decreeing the protected area, so that families did not feel threatened by the new park and its regulations.
Fostering Community Philanthropy
SUPPORTING A NEW COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN PUNTA DE MITA
ICF is committed to promoting expanded community philanthropy in the regions that we serve. In 2000, ICF’s role was instrumental in the establishment of Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad (FIC), A.C., Baja California’s first community foundation. Over the past year, ICF has been actively involved assisting civic leaders and residents in Punta de Mita, located in the municipality of Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit, Mexico, to establish a local community foundation, Fundación Punta de Mita, A.C. The mission of the Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for the residents of the Punta de Mita region and support the development of local nonprofits. A new agency “Friends Of” fund has been established at ICF to support the formation and growth of Mexico’s newest community foundation.
Educating Future Generations
STRENGTHENING SCHOLARHIP PROGRAMS IN MEXICO
In February 2007, ICF hosted 20 representatives from 11 Mexican nonprofits for the first annual ICF education forum in La Paz, BCS, Mexico. The participating organizations, which included Fundación Ayuda Niños La Paz; Liga MAC; Optimist Club– Cabo San Lucas; Mulege Scholarship; Comunidad, Vision, y Desarrollo (COVYDE); Palapa Society; Fundación Internacional de la Comunidad; Becas Vallarta; East Cape Guild and Project Amigo, work to provide academic opportunities for underprivileged children and improve existing educational systems in Mexico. Combined, the nonprofits offer more than 1,350 scholarships to students in all grades across Mexico, including the communities of Puerto Vallarta, Colima, Cabo San Lucas, Tijuana, La Paz, San Jose del Cabo, and Todos Santos. This workshop allowed educational nonprofits to expand their networks and build learning partnerships with groups from other parts of Mexico and internationally, as well as share lessons, challenges and accomplishments.
Promoting Healthy Communities
EXPANDING GRANTMAKING IN PREVENTATIVE HEALTH
In the past year, ICF has worked to expand its health related grantmaking to support border based nonprofit groups such as: Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (San Diego, CA), Centro Mujeres, A.C. (La Paz, BCS, Mexico), Cruz Roja Mexicana- Rosarito (Rosarito, BC, Mexico), Fronteras Unidas Pro Salud, A.C. (Tijuana, BC, Mexico), Fundación Casa Alianza Mexico, I.A.P. (Mexico City), Hospital General de Tijuana (Tijuana, BC, Mexico), Paramedicos Viciente Guerrero (San Quintin, BC, Mexico), and Prevencasa, A.C. (Tijuana, BC, Mexico). Also, three new health-focused “Friends Of” funds were established at ICF by Centro Mujeres, A.C., Fronteras Unidas Pro Salud, A.C., and Hospital Infantil de las Californias.
Additionally, with the publication of its report, Shared Destiny: Shaping a Binational Agenda for Health Priorities in the San Diego - Baja California Border Region, its sponsorship of the 2006 Binational Border Health Week and its support of Pro Salud’s annual conference on HIV/AIDs Prevention, ICF continues to expand its level of public outreach promoting improved health access for residents throughout the border region and beyond.