Go4BioDiv

• Name: Alan Monroy Ojeda
• Country: Mexico
• representing this natural World Heritage Site: Sian Ka´an Biosphere Reserve
• Occupation and educational background: student/ Natural Resources Management Engineer with a specialization in wildlife management.
• Group Affiliation:
  Climate Generation (British Council)
• Free-time activities:
  Yoga, Drawing, Running, Swimming, Climbing
• Favourite Quote:
  ”Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree” Martin Luther King ”Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, None but ourselves can free our minds.” Bob Marley
• My Personal relation to the World Heritage Site:
  
• Important to safeguard my natural World Heritage Site:
  Natural World Heritage Sites are places where man can still return to the vital source of life and to the harmonic relationship with mother nature. It is not only important, but vital to safeguard them because throughout these places we can still find the inspiration to respect and protect our planet (Gaia). Sian Ka´an, (the WHS I represent) is according to the mayan people the place where the heaven begins... and that is what I believe it really is...
• Specific problems and threats of my WHS:
  In the short term; uncontrolled tourism, illegal fishery, habitat loss due to tourism infrastructure development. In the long term; destruction of the site due to sea level rising, destruction of the coral reef due to coral bleaching, and other effects of climate change.
• Motivation for participating in the International Youth Forum 2010:
  My motivation is to continue the beautiful project that started in 2008. I would like to continue spreading the voice and actions of the Go4BiDiv community and be part of the new generation of enthusiastic people. The last Youth Summit changed my life, my point of view, and more than ever I think that energy and knowledge that flows in these spaces are capable to change the future.
• Message to the world concerning WHS and biodiversity:
  Bringing back one of my favourite quotes of Martin Luther King written above, I believe that WHS are those apple trees that gives us hope for the future… we should then, metaphorically speaking, have forests of apple trees all over, and realize that taking care of them, we would be taking care of ourselves.