American Bison Successfully Reintroduced in Coahuila

• After more than 100 years, the American bison roams the plains of Coahuila in Mexico again.
• AES Mexico and CEMEX, together with the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN), and the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) and General Directorate of Wildlife, reintroduce 19 American bison to El Carmen Nature Reserve in Coahuila, Mexico.
• The project’s success celebrates World Wildlife Day

MONTERREY, MEXICO. MARCH 3, 2020 – CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (“CEMEX”) (NYSE: CX), together with AES Mexico, the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN), the Mexican Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) through its General Directorate of Wildlife and the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), announced today the successful reintroduction of 19 American bison (Bison bison) to the El Carmen Nature Reserve in Coahuila, Mexico. The goal is to establish the second conservation herd of this species in the country. 

El Carmen Nature Reserve is a private, binational conservation area on the border of Mexico and the United States that covers over 140,000 hectares. It is one of the five largest wildlife areas in the world. The reserve harbors five different ecosystems, habitat to many diverse species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. One of its main objectives is to recover the populations of native wildlife, focusing on habitat and wildlife management and conservation, as well as reintroducing locally extinct species. 

Renée González, Executive Director of FMCN, declared, “This is a great achievement for the conservation of endangered species in Mexico, and it was made possible by the close alliance between the government, civil society and the private sector. This new herd strengthens Mexico’s role in the conservation of such an emblematic species for North America.” 

José Arosa, General Director of AES Mexico, commented, “AES is interested in supporting projects that seek to preserve Mexico’s biodiversity and raise awareness about its importance. As part of our commitment to the country, we will continue to join forces to support conservation initiatives that connect us to a vision for the future and a call for global cooperation to achieve a society with more opportunities that are in harmony with the environment.” 

Vicente Saisó, Director of Sustainability of CEMEX, said, “For almost two decades, we have carried out different alliances with companies and conservation organizations to protect and increase biodiversity in El Carmen. Examples of this include the reintroduction of the American bison, the bighorn sheep and the peninsular pronghorn. Together these populations have reached approximately 900 individuals in the reserve today, in addition to increases in the populations of desert mule deer, white-tailed deer, and black bear.”

Roberto Aviña Carlín, National Commissioner of CONANP, said, “The establishment of bison herds in Mexico contributes significantly to the recovery of the species on a continental scale and is a success story in the process of recovering endangered species through the close collaboration of civil society organizations, academia, the private sector and national and international government agencies.”

The American bison is the largest land mammal on the North American continent and at one time ranged across the plains of Canada, the United States and Mexico. In Mexico, bison were found in Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Durango; however, they were nearly extirpated by the second half of the 19th century. Today, the American bison is considered an endangered species in Mexico. The recovery of their populations is also important for the restoration of the great native grasslands of northern Mexico. 

Prior to this collaboration, the only herd of bison considered genetically pure was at Rancho El Uno, a property owned by FMCN and located within the Janos Biosphere Reserve in Chihuahua. Nineteen individuals from this herd were reintroduced to El Carmen, located in Maderas del Carmen Flora and Fauna Protection Area, by an expert team of wildlife management specialists. The individuals selected were approved by the General Directorate of Wildlife of SEMARNAT. The initiative to establish the second conservation herd of American bison in the country in El Carmen Nature Reserve was launched in April 2019 and will conclude in the next two years.

Please visit the following link to see the bison in their new home: https://youtu.be/UpZMhCqgxL4