There is a close relationship between natural resources and the COVID-19 pandemic, responsible for the greatest health and economic crisis that humanity has ever experienced. It is known that human activities such as climate change, deforestation, land use change and the introduction of exotic species play a fundamental role in the appearance of zoonotic viruses (transmitted from animals to humans) such as SARS-COV 2, which causes COVID-19 (Suzán, 2020).
The overexploitation of natural resources and the loss of biodiversity are not only identified as causes of the pandemic, they can also be an essential factor for its control. Access to drinking water is essential for hand washing to avoid contagion; the production of fish products helps maintain food security; and the conservation of ecosystems and their biodiversity is a paramount need to reduce the risk of future zoonoses (CEPAL, 2020).
However, our natural resources are facing their own crisis. In the case of water, forests and fishery resources, we have that 70% of the country's bodies of water are currently contaminated (Gómez, 2018); almost four million hectares of forest have been lost since 2001 (Global Forest Watch, 2020); and the proportion of marine fish stocks exploited at unsustainable levels already exceeds 33% (FAO, 2018). This means that, despite the public policies implemented in recent decades, the state of our natural resources continues to deteriorate.
One of the premises for solving this problem is to have complete, updated and accessible information that triggers more active citizen participation in the search for better solutions. However, the Natural Resources Transparency Index (ITRN) 2020 prepared by the organizations Causa Natura, Reforestamos México, CartoCrítica and the Fund for Environmental Communication and Education, indicates that, from a range of zero to one, the transparency of the management of these three natural resources is only 0.29 (ITRN, 2020).
The results of the ITRN 2020 demonstrate opacity in permits and rights to use, distribution of support and subsidies, as well as in inspection and surveillance tasks in the management of the three resources. With regard to permits and concessions, it is not possible to know what are the criteria and justification for granting permits and concessions for the use of water, forests and fishing resources. For example, questions such as: who are the final beneficiaries of the exploitation of wells and aquifers? Why are land use changes being granted on certain forest
lands? or why are permits granted for fishing species that have already reached maximum levels of exploitation in certain municipalities? cannot be answered with current public information. In the same way, with regard to subsidies, there is currently no complete public information on the final beneficiaries of PROAGUA; the total and disaggregated amount of the Mexican Forest Fund is unknown; and I do not know who are the beneficiaries of Capacity Building
support for fish producers.
Questions related to the legal origin of forest products would also remain unanswered, or what about citizen complaints about the clandestine drinking of water? and what happens to the fishing equipment and product seized during the inspection tours? These questions and many others that are essential to know the state of the management of our natural resources cannot be answered, and without basic information it will be very difficult to move towards a sustainable use of natural resources, the restoration of ecosystems, and now we know that, towards a comprehensive protection of human health.
The key to changing this situation lies in a virtuous government-society relationship, where the authorities publish more and better information and citizens demand it. An example of this could be the 10th commitment of the 4th Plan of Action of the Open Government Alliance in Mexico, which establishes as one of its goals the following: “The water, forestry and fishing sectors reach at least 0.50 marks in the ITRN evaluation of August 2021.” This commitment opens a window of opportunity to change the way in which we are managing our natural resources and a first step towards a more transparent, sustainable and resilient Mexico in the face of future pandemics.
Bibliography
Natural Cause, CartoCritical. (2020). Natural Resources Transparency Index -Fisheries. Cause Nature.
ECLAC. (2020). Caribbean, The role of natural resources in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the. Retrieved from https://www.cepal.org/es/enfoques/rol-recursos-naturales-la-pandemia-covid-19-america-latina-caribe
FAO. (May 11, 2018). Indicators for the Sustainable Development of Marine Capture Fisheries. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/3/a-x3307s.html
Global Forest Watch. (September 16, 2020). Mexico. Retrieved from https://www.globalforestwatch.org/
Gómez, C. (May 27, 2018). Contaminated, 70% of water bodies in Mexico: specialists.
INEGI. (2019). Economic and ecological accounts for Mexico 2018. INEGI.
ITRN. (September 10, 2020). Retrieved from https://www.transparenciarecursosnaturales.org/
Suzán, G. (March 27, 2020). Diseases caused by climate change and deforestation. The Universal.
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