Environmentalists Fear for Future of Mexican Park EFE
go to original December 2, 2013

View of Mexico's fourth highest mountain, Nevado de Toluca, whose status has been changed by presidential decree from "national park" to "protected area for flora and fauna," a move that environmentalists fear will open it to commercial exploitation. (EFE)

MEXICO CITY - Nevado de Toluca, the fourth highest mountain in Mexico, has a new status that has sparked concern among the area's residents and environmental groups who fear the new measure will open the door to exploitation by commercial and touristic interests.

By presidential decree, the 4,680-meter (15,344-foot) volcano, located southwest of the capital of Mexico state, has gone from being a "national park" to become "a protected area for flora and fauna."

On the activist digital platform change.org, a number of petitions have been posted calling for President Enrique Peña Nieto to return Nevado to its national park status. One of them currently boasts more than 28,000 signatures.

Individual citizens and civil organizations are promoting two collective actions to contest the decree, which they consider in violation of international treaties on environmental protection by allowing the area to be exploited for profit.

Read the rest at La Prensa

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!