Mexico Promotes Partnerships for Nature Restoration

The Alianzas por la Naturaleza meeting brought together government, private-sector, academic, and civil society representatives to address Mexico’s environmental challenges through cross-sector collaboration, with discussions spanning ecosystem restoration, circular economy, water resilience, sustainable technologies, and biodiversity. The event highlighted the growing role of public-private partnerships, environmental financing, and corporate action in supporting Mexico’s sustainability and regulatory priorities, affecting companies, government institutions, NGOs, communities, and educational organizations.

The Alianzas por la Naturaleza (Alliances for Nature) meeting brought together representatives from the private sector, government, academia, and civil society to analyze solutions that can help Mexico move toward a more prosperous and sustainable economy. The initiative is supported by Salesforce, a global leader in digital and artificial intelligence tools, which announced a US$1 billion investment in 2025 through its global Nature Positive strategy to build a future in harmony with the environment.

During the event, Alicia Bárcena, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), highlighted the creation, together with the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), of the Environmental Capital Fund to promote environmental priorities. She also noted that the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) has already joined the project to mobilize resources from different contributors and variables.

“A fund to address the amount of environmental liabilities that this country has, including mining tailings, eroded areas, and deforested areas. Restoration is one of SEMARNAT’s priorities; we are in the decade of restoration. We invite all the civil society and private organizations here to participate in this Environmental Capital Fund,” Bárcena says.

She stressed that the Ministry has launched a policy aimed at changing the paradigms surrounding environmental laws. Bárcena highlighted that the government is not opposed to investment, but seeks to promote a different approach that generates benefits for ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Bárcena also referred to the Circular Economy Law, through which solid waste is collected and reused. She noted that this practice has already been implemented in Morelos, where 12 municipalities transport tires to cement company Moctezuma, which processes them with a shredder. The resulting powder is then used as fuel in cement plants, providing an alternative for generating new fuels from waste.

According to SEMARNAT data, between 35 million and 40 million discarded tires are contaminating areas such as roads, ravines, and rivers. “We generate 140,000t of waste every day in Mexico, which is why it is very important for us to advance the circular economy. We propose that key sectors adopt circular economy practices and apply extended producer responsibility, so that the producer takes responsibility from the moment the product is manufactured through the end of its life, because what happens is that the problem is passed on to us,” Bárcena says.

Finally, the head of SEMARNAT urged all sectors of society to move from good intentions to concrete action to restore ecosystems. “Faced with this challenge, partnerships become relevant because no one can do it alone. It is urgent that we all act together. We have to convey the urgency of the problem facing the planet,” she said.

In this regard, Martha Ruiz, Director, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda, an organization with extensive experience in ecosystem conservation and restoration, underscored that conservation requires linking ecosystem protection with communities, institutions, and financing mechanisms that can sustain these efforts over the long term.

The meeting also highlighted that companies have an increasingly important role to play in developing solutions to environmental challenges. In this regard, Salesforce shared part of its strategy aimed at strengthening collective action for nature and climate. Katerina Trostmann, Global Head of Nature and Water, Salesforce, highlighted the importance of building a culture of purpose within organizations and combining capabilities across different sectors. Salesforce has committed at least US$1 billion to sustainability-related initiatives, while also promoting spaces for the development of new partnerships in favor of nature.

Water also occupied a central place in the discussion, particularly in light of the challenges posed by data centers, the strengthening of energy infrastructure, and water resilience, as well as the need to contribute to watershed recovery.

Grupo Bimbo, one of the companies represented at the event and recognized in 2026 as the company with the best performance in the Most Responsible ESG Companies in Mexico ranking by the Corporate Reputation Business Monitor (MERCO), promotes initiatives such as the use of 100% recycled water in vehicle-washing areas and participation in programs such as Escuelas de Lluvia (Rain Schools), which aims to collect and make use of rainwater at schools located in water-scarce regions. The company has also adopted innovations at its production plants. For example, at its Barcel Laguna plant, water from the potato frying process is recovered and reused for washing the potatoes, achieving a 20% reduction in water consumption.

Another example presented during the meeting was the work carried out in Queretaro, where approximately 1,200 teachers have been trained to strengthen the implementation of sustainable technologies. The initiative highlights the role educational institutions can play in building capacities to address environmental and technological challenges. 

Olga Patiño, Regional Vice President, Salesforce, emphasized the participation of business leaders, government representatives, environmental entrepreneurs, and civil society amid the current critical scenario of climate volatility and biodiversity loss. “Environmental action is no longer an alternative; it is a strategic and ethical imperative for nature restoration. Real and lasting impact occurs at the intersection of technological innovation, public policy, community knowledge, NGO experience, and private-sector leadership. We are ready to move from good intentions to effective action,” she says.