MLR celebrates International Day of Forests by Reclaiming Degraded Land

Before MLR Forestal began its work in the North Caribbean, the 3,101.57 hectares of teak and teak plantations in association with cocoa, as well as the 1450.80 hectares that are currently destined for conservation were used during decades for extensive livestock or agriculture. The result was the disappearance of the natural forests of the place. However, now these areas are riparian forests, riparian forests or forests associated with rivers, so we celebrate the International Day of Forests.

These protected areas are of utmost importance as they house the biodiversity existing in the farms of MLR Forestal. “More than 450 species of plants, 37 species of mammals, 47 species of reptiles, 279 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians, 10 species of fish are part of the flora and fauna that MLR protects in its properties,” specifies Róger Mendieta, head of biodiversity of the company.

These data become more relevant at this time because in 2012, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests, being 2013 the first year to officially celebrate it.

The official organizers are the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), as well as the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, among other organizations and groupings.

Forest MLR fulfills the theme of the International Day of Forests for 2023

The website of the United Nations (UN) published that the theme of the International Day is: “Forests and health“.

This is a call to care for forests, not just benefit from them. Only through healthy forests will we be able to have healthy populations.

Since September 2022, the North Caribbean has a new Private Wildlife Reserve, the third that exists in the municipality of Siuna. It is the Finca Matiz, owned by MLR Forestal, where 67 hectares have been recognized with this certificate for their relevance in the conservation of biodiversity.

Luis López, Sustainable Development Manager of MLR Forestal, recalled that when Matiz was acquired “we identified this forest and automatically stopped any type of operation, hence we have all the pioneer species of the region from the ceiba, Atlantic mahogany, precious woods that at some point have been affected by the advance of the agricultural frontier “.

Both the Private Wildlife Reserve of Finca Matiz and the conservation areas located in the rest of MLR Forestal properties play a vital role with biodiversity and also with human beings: they provide environmental services such as the capture and fixation of carbon dioxide to contribute to the reduction of the effects of climate change and global warming. This allows people to breathe and live better.