Beatriz Carmena was a teenager when she fell madly in love with Nature. Intrigued by everything from erosion and restoration to how Nature maintains its natural order and balance, she decided to study environmental engineering. An internship in Oaxaca, Mexico where she was living with biologists and witnessing the extraordinary beauty of thousands of nesting turtles led her to dedicate her life to protecting Nature. Her current project beautifully honors that commitment as she’s planting seeds of love for the environment in the next generation of children in Oaxaca.
On the coast of Oaxaca, Beatriz works in four, different communities. The first two, Escobilla and Río Seco, are communities adjacent to the Escobilla and Morro Ayuta beaches, the most important beaches in the world for Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting as more than1.5 million sea turtles nest there every year. In Cozoaltepec, a group within the community protects a jungle where one might find pumas, ocelots, toucans, and hundreds of other species. The Ventanilla community works together to protect a lagoon surrounded by mangroves full of crocodiles and birds as well as a beach where Olive Ridley and Leatherback sea turtles nest.
While working for the conservation of endangered species in these communities, Beatriz developed a project for children and families to grow trees and plants in their houses and then plant them in the community or in their gardens in order to attract many of the more than 100 various species of birds that people from these communities have never even seen. Children collect the seeds of indigenous trees and plant them as an invitation for the birds to visit. In studying the trees and plants that could be grown, children are educated about the various trees that birds use for nesting, shelter and food, thus deepening their understanding of the native wildlife. At the start, they will be focused on planting flowers for hummingbirds. In addition, Beatriz hosts monthly workshops where children create together and in relation to wildlife, they will be identifying birds.
When she began to plan this engaging, educational and environmentally friendly project, Beatriz reached out to The Pollination Project.
“I found out about The Pollination Project a long time ago and I was just waiting to create a project that would be a perfect fit. When I saw the “Congratulations” email, I was super excited. It was after the hurricane and it was so good. I didn’t have a connection – no signal – so I answered the message like 2 days after and I was like I am going to have a signal so please wait for me,” laughed Beatriz.
Children will use recycled material to create flower pots that they can decorate – these will be a home for their plants until they are strong enough to be planted in the ground. As a special treat, every plant will be given a name by a child. Even now when finishing an activity, like painting, the children are super excited. They enjoy it so much that they ask to take the materials home which makes Beatriz incredibly happy.
“One thing I want is for this project to engage the children in conservation. I want them to become an Environmental Brigade. The more activities we do, the more I want them to feel they have a responsibility to care for nature. These communities are like paradise, they have beautiful, natural resources that I want them to learn to love and always care for,” Beatriz said.
For these amazing, wild children who live in the most beautiful, wild world, Beatriz’s message is one of inspiration and hope as she focuses on creating a generation of protectors of Nature – a true Environmental Brigade – that appreciates the exquisite beauty of nature and understands the true importance of caring for our natural world.
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