CEMEX Dominican Republic gets Wildlife Habitat Council’s top kudos

Monterrey, Mexico–(BUSINESS WIRE)–CEMEX, S.A.B. announced today that the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) granted CEMEX in the Dominican Republic its Gold Certification for the company’s Biodiversity Action Plan in Las Salinas and Laguna Cabral, a project led by CEMEX in collaboration with Grupo Jaragua and Birdlife International. CEMEX received this recognition for the results of its program “Las Salinas and Laguna Cabral Biodiversity Action Plan,” located close to its gypsum mine in the Barahona province, in the southwest of the country.

“We are proud to receive Gold Conservation Certification from the WHC. This recognition reflects our successful sustainability efforts in the country and fosters our commitment to embed sustainability in every aspect of our operations,” said Alejandro Ramirez, President of CEMEX in the Dominican Republic.

The “Las Salinas and Laguna Cabral Biodiversity Action Plan” was created five years ago in collaboration with Birdlife International and Grupo Jaragua to mitigate past or present environmental impacts and involve local communities in environmental conservation by playing the role of Environmental Guardians. Conservation efforts include helping to safeguard two endangered species, the Rhinoceros Iguana (the largest endemic vertebrate in the area) and the jicotea (Hispaniolan Slider Turtle); protecting Laguna Cabral, a BirdLife Important Bird and Biodiversity Area and Ramsar Site; restoring Lemba River’s native riverbank vegetation, as well as working to enhance life quality of local communities and empower women, among other initiatives.

“Our collaborative project will not only guide CEMEX quarry restoration efforts in the future, but has provided a lifeline for two critical species threatened with local extinction. We are thrilled that our team effort has been awarded the highest recognition by the WHC,” said Yolanda León, president of Grupo Jaragua.

“Thanks to the specific efforts of its habitat conservation program, CEMEX has complied and exceeded the criteria for the promotion of wildlife quality. This accomplishment recognizes the Dominican Republic’s and CEMEX’s commitment to conservation,” commented Emily Voldstad, Director of Conservation Certification and Technology of the WHC.

The WHC promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. WHC programs translate corporate sustainability goals and objectives into tangible and measurable on-the-ground actions.

Through a focus on building collaboration for conservation with corporate employees, other conservation organizations, government agencies and community members, WHC programs focus on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. For more information on the WHC, please visit: wildlifehc.org

Recognized as a world leader in bird and nature conservation, BirdLife International is a global partnership of grassroots conservation organizations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources. As the world’s largest Nature Conservation partnership, BirdLife International has more than 10 million members and supporters. For more information on BirdLife International, please visit: www.birdlife.org

Grupo Jaragua is a non-governmental organization from the Dominican Republic that works for the sustainable management of the biodiversity of Hispaniola island. For more information on Grupo Jaragua, please visit: www.grupojaragua.org.do.