One dream, one utopia Knowledge as reality Mari Carmen Casares t Augusto Chacón Selva Negra Directive Council Fher OlverarÁlex Gonzálezr Sergio Vallínr Juan Calleros rUlises Calleros Directors Mari Carmen Casaresr Augusto Chacón Administration and logistics Beatriz Verar Javier Hernández Education Circe Peraltar Carla Pataky Plastics Yolanda Quintana Sea turtles Marcelino Lópezr Blanca Bojórquezr Miguel Flores Peregrina r Cruz Nájar r Ruperto Ortega El Huatulco r David Ortega r Martín Gómez r Marisol Castruita Community development José Sánchez r Blanca Bojórquez — 2 — Contents Introductory words by Fher ............................ 5 Foreword ....................................... 6 Introduction ..................................... 7 Search ........................................ 14 Oaxaca’s experience ................................. 16 Oaxaca: less reality, more imagination ........................ 20 Education: through reason and feeling, I modify ................ 23 The educational program .............................. 30 Plastics, a project .................................. 33 Numbers ...................................... 41 Communities .................................... 42 Testimonies ..................................... 44 The Guide ..................................... 46 Yo soy… my experience ............................... 48 Sea turtles ...................................... 50 Platanitos Camp ................................... 57 Chila Camp ..................................... 59 Palmarito Camp ................................... 61 Testimonies ..................................... 65 Numbers ...................................... 67 — 3 — Community development ............................. 69 Testimonies ..................................... 72 Perspective ..................................... 75 Communities and numbers ............................. 76 fao ........................................ 78 ¡Aterrízate! ...................................... 83 General Motors ................................... 84 Pan American Health Organization ........................ 85 Common consciousness .............................. 87 Reforestamos México ................................. 89 Lectures ....................................... 93 Social labors by universities ............................ 95 Social labors by universities ............................. 96 Tabasco ........................................ 99 Ecological land classification .......................... 100 Epilogue ...................................... 107 Acknowledgments ................................ 109 4 Introductory words by Fher The environmental thought was already in me when I was a child, as an intuition. I know because I couldn’t help releasing my grandmother’s canaries from their cages. Sure, back then I didn’t think that things —natural environment-wise— would get to such a critical state. Then, as time went by and the earth’s future seemed so dark, I didn’t imagine that people’s consciousness would change, that they would become aware of the problem at such speed… and we’re getting there. I’m happy and positive about this; but we can’t lower our guard: there still remains much to be done. I continue to believe in men: men created the problem, and they shall create solutions. We will live in the hope that our planet’s natural environment can be improved. It’s better to live this way than in defeat: to be dead before even dying. Amongst many other things, this is why Selva Negra is the best alliance Maná has made in the history of its career. — 5 — Foreword Maná-Selva Negra: What are we? How do we operate? What brings us together? Selva Negra is Maná’s social branch. All Fehr, Alex, Sergio, Juan and Ulises have been concerned and have contributed all these years through tours and concerts to make the operation of the organization totally possible; their work and environmental commitment allows channeling each penny of the sources we receive from those who associate to our projects. The commitment, support and confidence Maná brings to Selva Negra, has opened us paths and chances to grow and become leaders at the subjects that got us here today. Selva Negra is composed of a directive council presided by Fernando Olvera; in which Ale- jandro Gonzalez, Ulises Calleros, Sergio Vallin, Juan Calleros and the Selva Negra Directors also are. We operate through a core staff that besides having two directors, one assistant and an ad- ministrator, has, in each one of the programs, a team of committed persons full of energy and cer- tainty that make it possible to render our organization’s dreams and goals into something real. All of us who form a part of Selva Negra are united by the utopia of building a country that is aware of its strengths, responsible for its habitat diversity, and engaged with all its people. — 6 — Introduction To inform is to bring something to notice, but it also means to give an essential form to said something. In order to confront the task of preparing a report, it is necessary to gather the data, compile facts, face testimonies… to add and subtract… And yet, as hard work as this represents, we barely get to the minimum parameters to be able to say, in an intelligible way, what has been done. But, beyond the numbers and the review: can we presume that an essential form has been given to the activities we undertook during a given period? The answer won’t be unmistakable, of course; after reading through this volume everyone shall form their own opinion and answer whether all that has been presented as a report reached indeed the qualification of “essential form”. This is no excuse to leave the question unanswered, for in a matter of essences, philosophies are shattered by tastes. This is why, through the structure of the report, we decided to introduce the particular and animated essence of Selva Negra’s do- ings: the human being surrounded by a certain environment: the former being determined by history, culture and particular living conditions; the later becoming corrupted by its interaction with the former, who shows signs of economic and educational dependence on a daily basis. The thesis is that at the same time we’ve inflicted harm to the natural environment, human be- ings have also broken down the social fabric and capital. Thus, we argue that in order to be able to modify our relationship with the environment it is unavoidably necessary to recompose the knitting of said fabric made of women, men and nature: society. Essence and data must be the basic content of this report; but neither one nor the other will acquire their true dimension, or at least their place, if we fail to identify who the speaker is: a foundation, an NG O, the organized civil society, non other than that: the good as social reason, as political binding. Yet, when looking back, we don’t see the cliche in any of the things we undertake. We don’t proclaim having done good deeds; and because of this, neither have we intended people to behave in a specific way; we’ve never deemed ourselves better than anybody; each day we ignore more at the same time that we are learning non-stop; we understand pretty well how easy it is to make harm by wielding the best of intentions. This way, in search of the — 7 — essence, of the data that will become a report, we couldn’t but ask ourselves: what are we? Not from the legal standpoint, and neither from the even-before-birth imposed popular imaginary… What are we deep inside?, how can we define ourselves better? And we came across an explana- tory detail: we are Selva Negra. To understand what we are, let’s locate the origins of what brought us here: the sea turtles. In 1997 Selva Negra started working and focusing its efforts towards this endangered species in the coasts of Jalisco. A few years later we expanded to the Oaxacan coasts, a very meaningful place in the world because two of its beaches, Escobilla y Morro Ayuta, are top locations for their nesting beds (“arribazones”): hundreds of thousands of turtles in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, not all of these species are safe, and a couple of them might disappear in some years. We tried then, and are still trying, to find the answers to their correct care and conservation. By observing, admir- ing and taking care of them in the different beaches of Oaxaca, the subject led itself to what is a fundamental piece in our organization today: people. From this standpoint, it is possible to under- stand what preserving and taking care of the world we live in is all about. This way, with these two arguments, Selva Negra has engaged in the task of creating programs outside the conservative structure of what foundations can offer —they work bounded by the limits of philanthropy— and we have opened the possibility of working with and for the people; not making use of the concept of assistentialism, nor following the trends of current times, but starting from the clear vision and commitment with a work ruled by ethics and civics —core points in our projects. From protecting sea turtles to educating; passing through middle points about sustainable methods development towards family nourishment; it is all part of the basic conception: human beings and the imperative need of changing the way they relate with the environment. But this was not the result of a sudden inspiration; we have wandered around doubt, immersed in ques- tions and answers. If this economic model and its constant search for growing —whatever it takes— hasn’t made of the world a fairer place;