On the Environment

Pope Benedict XVI:

The family needs a home, a fit environment in which to develop its proper relationships. For the human family, this home is the earth, the environment that God the Creator has given us to inhabit with creativity and responsibility.

We need to care for the environment: it has been entrusted to men and women to be protected and cultivated with responsible freedom, with the good of all as a constant guiding criterion.

Human beings, obviously, are of supreme worth vis-à-vis creation as a whole. Respecting the environment does not mean considering material or animal nature more important than man. Rather, it means not selfishly considering nature to be at the complete disposal of our own interests, for future generations also have the right to reap its benefits and to exhibit towards nature the same responsible freedom that we claim for ourselves.

Nor must we overlook the poor, who are excluded in many cases from the goods of creation destined for all.

Humanity today is rightly concerned about the ecological balance of tomorrow.

— From world day of peace 2008, Pope Benedict XVI

Ecological Restoration Project

The objectives of the ecological project are the following:

To RESTORE deteriorated ecosystems and bring recovery to zones of forest that serve as refuge for species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction (e.g., the wax palm and the pechirrojo parrot).
To CREATE and to connect areas of forest that serve as natural corridors for species, especially a number of bird species, so they can resume natural patterns of migration throughout the region.
To PROTECT and restore water in the reserve for viable and sustainable uses.
To COLLECT important data for future projects of restoration and to enlarge the knowledge about the dynamics of the forests and its processes.
To CREATE viable and sustainable productive systems that are in harmony with the environment and that can be implemented in the region to free ecosystems from the pressure of cattle and potato cultivation.
To CREATE a productive system (ecological farm) that serves the physiotherapy needs of the children who are sick with cancer and contributes to their health and wellbeing.
To CREATE greater awareness in the community through environmental education that promotes respect and understanding of the vital importance of the species and the ecosystems for man and his salvation.
To CREATE a favorable environment for the community (especially the children with cancer) in which they can meditate and contemplate the creation of God and in which they can find reflective, intimate spaces to talk with God.