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MEXICO: Indigenous groups help to protect the Lacandon jungle

A group of 89 academic institutions, NGOs, indigenous communities and local and federal authorities announced today the initiation of the “joint strategy for the conservation of the Lacandon jungle.” The Lacandon jungle, located in the largely indigenous inhabited state of Chiapas, extends nearly one million hectares, accounting for 13% of the state’s territory. The goals of strategy include the reduction of deforestation and commercial farming over the next ten years, the reduction of the mortality and illiteracy rates, and the reconstruction of the social material of the region which has long been affected by political and ideological polarization. The plan also intends to protect the diverse flora and fauna of the jungle which includes 142 species of mammals, 79 species of reptile, 59 species of fish, and 508 species of bird.