To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, Landscapes News is publishing a series of stories honoring women with a laurel for their dedication to improving the landscape. In this profile, Jaime Garcia of Reforestamos writes about Myriam Espinoza Torres. Check Viewpoint all week for more laurel recipients.
If nature should team-up and find a worthy guardian to stand up for it, that should most definitively be Myriam.
She has devoted her life to the preservation of Mexico’s forests by taking stand in every single aspect of her life, both personally and professionally. She is the most hardworking coworker, relentless in her commitment to restore and preserve the environment.
Myriam Espinoza Torres was born in 1979 and has been an active member of the Boy Scouts Association since 1989. She was awarded with the “Silver Eagle” and the “Mission” medals for her unsparing effort to promote environmental education among youth, and for inspiring them to love and understand nature. And I don’t mean basic topics. She taught them about clean water matters, waste management, air pollution, renewable energies and natural habitat risk prevention.
She earned a degree in international commerce in 2001, which she has consistently focused on productive ventures for rural communities. She shared her expertise to provide them with competitive tools to enhance their life quality standards through a sustainable source of income and, by doing so, empowered them and made them visible in the conservation of national parks. Think about apiarian products, water lilies, wood crafts, practical gender equality, linkage to federal governmental entities: she’s done it.
Later, in pursuit of professionalizing her field experience, she joined the Environment Division of the state of Jalisco, an office historically run by men, and coordinated regional development projects from 2010 to 2016, her performance outstanding until she (luckily for us) joined our team.
Reforestamos is a civil organization dedicated to mitigating deforestation in Mexico, and Myriam joined in as the Regional Coordinator for the Occidental Province under the “Better Forests, Better Alliances” initiative, which promotes the collaboration of society in restoring degraded landscapes.
Since then, she has coordinated several corporate reforestation events, soil conservation strategies, pest control and fire combat actions — and she also releases marine baby turtles to the sea on her free time.
She is partnered with the regional head of scouts of Jalisco, and both their sons are also Scouts.
Clearly, all of these values are close to Myriam’s heart and she is triggering positive change all the way back from home. A woman so passionate, knowledgeable and energetic can only spread her enthusiasm for life and every single species of it. We really do thank her and honor her path.
Kinari Webb transforms medical payment system to protect Borneo orangutan habitats
Susie Kinyanjui leads 1.5 million charcoal seedball sowing reforestation initiative
For Maggie Muurmans, saving sea turtles starts with the community
Deepali Rautela at forefront of sustainable forest certification program in India
Yuyun Ismawati fights mercury, pollutants in landscapes to protect livelihoods
Honor your “Landscape Laurel” on International Women’s Day 2018
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