12.18.2007 - 04:07pm ET

(CSRwire) WASHINGTON, D.C. - December 18, 2007 - A new report issued by the Alliance to Conserve the Maya Forest—The Selva Maya Project—documents recent advances in protecting biodiversity and cultural heritage in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The Alliance is comprised of the World Environment Center (WEC), the Rainforest Alliance (RA), and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Alliance' mission is to promote sustainable growth and conservation in the Maya Forest by building capacity within the local communities and working with the governments of these nations.

Stretching from Mexico across northern Guatemala to the southern half of coastal Belize, the Maya Forest is the largest block of contiguous forest left in Central America. It is the second largest rainforest in the Americas after the Amazon. Rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, the Maya Forest is also a treasure-trove of economically valuable natural resources. Currently, the Maya Forest is being cleared at the rate of about 200,000 acres per year due to forest fires, illegal logging and cattle ranching. The Alliance to Conserve the Maya Forest has the goal of conserving the Maya Forest by sustainable growth so the entire ecological system even beyond its boundaries remains viable.

Contributions from Pfizer through the World Environment Center to The Nature Conservancy and Rainforest Alliance have aided in the conservation of the Maya Forest while creating sustainable livelihoods. "The unique value of this partnership to conserve the Maya Forest is that it has advanced sustainable livelihoods for people in this region. The success of this type of partnership can be replicated by other global leaders, leading to simultaneous improvements in sustainable livelihoods and conservation," stated Terry F. Yosie, President & CEO of the World Environment Center.

The support of Pfizer has been instrumental in generating specific measurable results in the Maya Forest such as:

- Developing a tri-national ecoregional plan and conservation agenda to highlight the forest sites most at risk and the consequent strategies needed to protect them. The information from these activities generated 18 scientific reports, eight databases and more than 500 maps, compiled and distributed to over 3,000 partners and stakeholders.
- Generating gross sales of $4.2 million in certified Mexican coffee and $7.3 million in certified Guatemalan coffee; sales of more than 9.5 million boxes of certified Guatemalan bananas; and over $4.8 million of certified sustainable wood through Rainforest Alliance's Certified Sustainable Product's Alliance partnership with the U S. Agency for International Development and local growers.
- Enhancing a foresting community, Carmelita, in Guatemala's Biosphere reserve that has been able to increase its profits through certified sustainable forestry and invest more than a third of the earnings into community development, improved technology and sustainable management.

Overall, Alliance partnership and Pfizer's support has allowed the Rainforest Alliance and The Nature Conservancy to leverage investments in the conservation of the Maya Forest; promote sustainable livelihoods, forestry, agriculture, and tourism in the region; purchase critical lands; raise fire management to a national priority; and continue in the protection of the Maya Mountains.

All initiatives have served to improve the protection of private lands and protected areas, reducing threats to biodiversity and promote an integrated approach for sustainable agriculture, forestry and tourism. Pfizer's support is helping to create sustainable options to improve the quality of life for communities in the Maya Forest.

About Pfizer, Inc.
Pfizer Inc, founded in 1849, is dedicated to better health and greater access to healthcare for people and their valued animals. Our purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives. Our route to that purpose is through discovering and developing breakthrough medicines; providing information on prevention, wellness, and treatment; consistent high-quality manufacturing of medicines, consumer products; and global leadership in corporate responsibility. Every day we help many millions of patients, all over the world, employ more than 80,000 colleagues, utilize the skills of thousands of medical researchers, and work in partnership with governments, individuals, and other payers for healthcare to treat and prevent illnesses—adding both years to life, and life to years.

Pfizer Contacts

Imraan Munshi: Imraan.Munshi@Pfizer.com
Gulden Mesara: Gulden.Mesara@Pfizer.com

About the World Environment Center
The World Environment Center, a non-profit, non-advocacy organization, is unique in its direct application of sustainable development strategies and practices to the business operations of its members. It advances sustainable development around the world through direct, on-the-ground initiatives and projects that improve health, safety, energy efficiency, water conservation, environmental conditions, the conservation of natural resources and other important objectives. Global companies across 12 business sectors currently participate in WEC, which also has partnerships with a number of government agencies and academic institutions. For more information, see www.wec.org.

WEC Contact:

Iris Ovadiya: iovadiya@wec.org

About the Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. The Rainforest Alliance has been a leader in the promotion of the sustainable use of natural resources, and to date has helped conserve more than 100 million acres of forestland and farmland around the globe and was one of the world's first organizations to conserve tropical forests using market incentives, For more information, visit www.rainforest-alliance.org.

Rainforest Alliance Contact:

Gretchen Ruethling: gruethling@ra.org

About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Learn more about the Conservancy's climate change work at www.nature.org/climatechange.

The Nature Conservancy Contact:

Arathi Sundaravadanan: asundaravadanan@tnc.org