CEMEX, CI launches campaign to save threatened species


Jaime Ruiz de Haro, CEMEX Philippines Foundation President opens the launch with a brief project description and call to action



Romeo Trono, Executive Director of CI Phils. presents to guests conservation efforts for the Phils' rich biodiversity 		Whale Shark is first to be 'adopted'

Donsol's whale sharks, locally known as the butanding, listed as one of the world's vulnerable species, may after all be saved from extinction.

The friendly whale shark was officially "adopted" by CEMEX Philippines Foundation, Inc. which is initiating a campaign to protect the Philippines' threatened species through a larger program that is envisioned to encourage greater private sector participation in nature conservation.

Called the CEMEX Adopt-A-Species, the program aims to institutionalize a strong, science-based framework for a long term species conservation program to effectively avoid the extinction of endangered species and the degradation of their habitat in the Philippines.

Conceptualized by the CEMEX Philippines Foundation, a local organization involved in funding education and environment programs, in partnership with Conservational International (CI), Adopt-A-Species will identify priority species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources "red list" of threatened groups, and encourage private companies and individuals to "adopt" a specific species not only by funding conservation efforts for it but also by helping coordinate existing projects and activities that seek to protect the particular species.

"We cannot afford to wait any longer. Our planet needs all the help it can get as quickly as possible. We are hopeful that this innovative program will result to greater awareness on the importance of preserving nature, and at the same time strengthen private sector participation in protecting the Philippines' rich biodiversity," said Jaime Ruiz de Haro, president of CEMEX Philippines Foundation.

As part of the preliminary adoption scheme for the whale sharks, CEMEX Philippines Foundation agreed to fund the photo identification and genetic analysis, as well as development of communication strategy for the whale sharks in Donsol.

The Adopt-A-Species Program is the latest collaboration between CEMEX Philippines Foundation and CI, a non-stock, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of global biodiversity, the world's natural ecosystems and the species that rely on these habitats for survival.

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