Mexico
EnvironmentEcological Group of Sierra Gorda (GESG) - Sierra Gorda Reserve: Product Diversification
Address
Ecological Group of Sierra Gorda (GESG)
Arroyo Seco 306
Querétaro,
Querétaro
76030
Mexico
52 44129 60242
http://www.woodrising.com/gesg/homepage.html
Mission
GESG has ignited a grassroots social movement held up worldwide as a model of citizen participation in conservation. In 1997 GESG and Sierra Gorda residents won national protection for Mexico’s most eco-diverse region. GESG manages the Reserve and promotes alternative economic approaches that protect its natural resources. Its environmental education program reaches over 11,000 local children, while community improvement programs build awareness within the larger population.
Programs
GESG engages Sierra Gorda's 100,000 residents in programs that enhance and protect the biosphere, such as sustainable forest management and agricultural practices, environmental education and establishment of alternative sources of income generation. In 2001, GESG launched a seven year biodiversity conservation project in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program and the Global Environment Facility.
Personnel Overview
Martha Isabel "Pati" Ruiz Corzo - Founder and Executive Director
19 years ago, music teacher Pati Ruiz Corzo decided she wanted a simpler way of life. She convinced her husband and sons to move from the city to a rural community in the Sierra Gorda mountains. Watching the destruction of the area’s natural resources due to extreme poverty, she mobilized local communities to adopt sustainable practices and fought for legally protected status for the Reserve.
Personnel Statistics
Maria Isabel "Pati" Ruiz Corzo, Founder and Executive Director
Founded in 1987
Employees: 40
Volunteers: 27
