The Local Ecological Management Program for Pueblo Nuevo was published in the Official Newspaper of the Government of the State of Durago. It establishes the policies for use, protection, and conservation of the municipality’s territory.

Juan Carlos Leyva, Regional Coordinator of Pronatura Noroeste in Sinaloa, southern Sonora, Durango, and Chihuahua, explained that this “public policy instrument has social consensus and seeks to minimize use conflicts in the region, using the premises of sustainable development, environmental preservation, and economic and social development.”

To this end, Pronatura Noroeste created the environmental agenda of the municipality that was used as one of the main inputs to consolidate the Ecological Management Program, which today contains 23 Environmental Management Units, nine of which coincide with the ecological easement – 100,000 hectares – that was established with the association’s assistance in 2012.

About the work of the association in the area, Leyva said: “Our impact will be in the area of protection we work in, as one of the objectives of the Conservation of Private and Social Lands Program is to cover the gaps. Where there are no natural protected areas, we propose instruments of protection like private protected areas, areas designated for conservation, or easements, to achieve a layer of protection.”

This initiative is a great step toward giving meaning to municipal public policy using the work of civil society organization. With it, in the mountains of Durago, the conservation of the forests that house more than 369 species of birds is strengthened.