The temporary exhibition Echoes of the Earth – Economy and Ecosystems is inaugurated at the Interactive Museum of Economics (MIDE). The exhibition shows the wealth of Mexico’s natural capital and its importance for the wellbeing and economic development of the country in simple terms.

The National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the MIDE, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the BIOFIN-Mexico initiative and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, inaugurated the temporary exhibition Echoes of the Earth – Economy and Ecosystems on January 24, 2019. The exhibition shows the richness of Mexico’s natural capital and its importance for the welfare and economic development of the country in simple terms. Representatives from the public, private, academic and civil society sectors attended the inaugural event.

Representatives of the aforementioned institutions participated in the inaugural ceremony. The event began with the screening of the video “Echoes of Life.” MIDE Director Silvia Singer said that the exhibition includes three sections, one on the meaning of biodiversity, a second on natural capital and the role of ecosystems in promoting development and a final section on the value of biodiversity. Katyna Argueta, country director of UNDP Mexico, highlighted that biodiversity is the basis for the development of different sectors and contributes to economic processes and to the wellbeing of the planet’s inhabitants. Harald Lossack, director of the biodiversity cluster for GIZ Mexico and director of the Mainstreaming of Biodiversity within the Mexican Agricultural Sector project, described Mexico’s significant advances in the area of sustainability and affirmed that Mexico is a strategic actor in the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals. He added that together with Germany, a strategic ally, GIZ has supported both countries in achieving their climate goals. “Exhibitions like this one are fundamental to achieving the goals that Mexico has proposed,” he said.

Dolores Barrientos, a UN Environment representative in Mexico, commented on the initiative Biodiversity and Agriculture in Mexico (TEEBAgriFood Mexico Initiative), in which UN Environment, GIZ and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations collaborate. She highlighted the correlation between the poorest areas and the best-preserved areas. Related to this issue, José Sarukhan, the national coordinator of CONABIO, affirmed that the key to sustainable agricultural production is recognizing biological and cultural richness and their close relationship. He highlighted the importance of the cultivated varieties of which Mexico is the center of origin and domestication, as well as the traditional systems of diversified crops such as the milpa and the key role that these play in culture, conservation and food. He explained how the exhibition transmits these key messages to visitors, as well as the relationship between biodiversity and the economy.

The Echoes of the Earth Exhibition will be open to the public for one year starting January 25 at the Interactive Museum of Economics (MIDE), located on Tacuba 17 in the Historic Center of Mexico City. More information is available at http://mide.org.mx