Bayer donates trees to nature reserve in Maunabo
As part of its commitment to contribute to community planting efforts aimed at mitigating the impact that Hurricane María had on the Punta Tuna Wetlands Nature Reserve, Bayer Crop Science donated 456 trees to nonprofit Siempre Verde and the Maunabo Pro-Development Committee.
Through a collaborative effort, the Siempre Verde company oversees the restoration work in Punta Tuna in Maunabo, while the reserve is administered by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and co-managed by the Maunabo Pro-Development Committee.
“Around the world, we have set new goals to continue positively impacting our environment, inside and outside our operations,” said Eric Torres, site enablement lead at Bayer Crop Science Puerto Rico.
“We’re very proud and pleased to continue to advance our goals through this collaborative project in Maunabo,” he said.
The donated trees include species of dessert cassia (“Senna polyphylla”), white cedar (“Tabebuia heterophylla”) and button mangrove (“Conocarpus erectus”). To do this, the company established a greenhouse for the horticulture of these trees, which are used in these efforts, in addition to community outreach initiatives.
These are coordinated by the Bayer Reforestation Program, led by Agronomist Francisco Muñiz, agronomic research specialist at Bayer Crop Science Puerto Rico.
“Bayer’s Reforestation Program is guided by the mission of supporting and promoting biodiversity in the ecosystems of our farms and operations,” said Muñiz.
“It’s also our interest to collaborate and contribute to restoring and reforesting natural habitats and preserving our natural resources. At Siempre Verde and the Maunabo Pro-Development Committee we have found strategic allies to carry out our goals. We’re very happy to begin this collaboration and we hope it will be the first of many,” he said.
Bayer Group launched the “Planet Impact” corporate program in 2018 to “significantly intensifying its sustainability efforts around the world.”
Since then, the local operation in Juana Díaz has carried out several initiatives that include restoring and reforesting natural habitats and preserving natural resources on and around its farms, among other efforts.
“For more than two decades, our commitment has been to be a committed corporate citizen in the southern region of Puerto Rico, adhering to sustainable and environmentally friendly procedures,” said Miguel Pereira, government affairs lead for Bayer Crop Science in Puerto Rico.
