Mexico is one of the few countries that has fulfilled its commitment to decree the protection of 10 percent of marine and coastal areas before the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.
The head of the Environmental Development and Regulation Deputy Ministry, Cuauhtémoc Ochoa Fernández, affirmed the above during his participation in the forum Conservation of Marine Ecosystems in Mexico, organized by the Republic Senate.
Attending on behalf of the Environment and Natural Resources Minister (Semarnat, for its acronym in Spanish), Rafael Pacchiano Alamán, pointed out that Mexico even doubled Aichi’s target, with 70 million hectares of marine land, equivalent to 22 percent of National territory.
During his speech, he explained the legal situation of the seas in Mexico and indicated that Semarnat, as a regulatory authority, has published Mexican official standards and Mexican norms to order non-extractive and extractive exploitation of marine biodiversity.
In addition to encourage productive alternative activities to fishing that benefit coastal communities.
He argued that Mexico’s role has been strong in regulating national and international trade in fishery resources.
He reported that in the past days the Emergency Standard was published for the labeling of specimens, parts and derivatives of totoaba bred in captivity, specifically in Wildlife Management Units.
The objective was to order their legal trade and at the same time to discourage the activities that affect the populations of this species in free life, such as the vaquita.
Ochoa Fernández hoped that this forum on the conservation of marine ecosystems in Mexico will provide substantive elements for the World Oceans Summit, to be held in March 2018.
The official was accompanied by Senator Ninfa Salinas Sada, president of the Commission on Environment and Natural Resources; and Senator Ernesto Ruffo Appel, president of the Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture.
In addition, Senator Silvia Guadalupe Garza Galván, president of the Special Commission on Climate Change and Commission on Environment and Natural Resources Minister.
-Notimex
