Sustainable Local Development
We are a pillar of the region, ensuring eco-friendly economic growth and educating future generations to be stewards of their natural heritage
Sustainable Development by the numbers:
Some of our current projects in this area include:
Actos de Bondad
Support for Local Schools
Community Outreach
Seeding a Conservation
Economy
Your 2026 donations to our Sustainable Local Development program area will support investments including:
- Scholarships to cover tuition fees and school supplies for local children
- Training, equipment and salary stipends for local fire brigades
- Forest management crews, particularly cutting back brush along roadways, to reduce the risk of wildfire
- Staffing, transportation, and materials for community education workshops
Link above is for tax-deductible donations in the USA. For other geographies or any questions related to our impact work and philanthropic opportunities, please contact our Head of Fundraising, Christopher Jacobs, by email at christopherj@vbgardens.
Bondad: Acts of Kindness for our local schools
The Vallarta Botanical Garden is committed to driving sustainable economic development across the rural communities of Cabo Corrientes. Here, local public schools languish without outside funding, as they receive almost no government assistance or resources for even basic needs. VBG’s Bondad (Kindness) program provides critical funding for local public schools.
Since 2022, Bondad has built a new school cafeteria serving 300 students daily in the town El Tuito, constructed indoor bathrooms for the remote schoolhouse in the village of Corrales, created scholarships (Becas) for local kids to pay school fees, purchased back-to-school supplies and laptops for teachers, and replaced school roofs destroyed by 2023’s Hurricane Lidia.
In 2025, the Bondad program made a meaningful difference
in classrooms across the underserved communities of El Tuito, Las Guásimas, Bioto, Mayto, Villa del Mar, Aquiles Serdán, and Las Juntas y los Veranos. By donating computers, monitors, office chairs, and essential accessories, we helped equip schools with the tools they need to thrive. 450 students now benefit from better-resourced classrooms, while teachers have greater support to deliver engaging, effective lessons.
Launched with a special donation from Mr. David McCann of Vancouver, Canada, Bondad’s lifechanging impact on children around the region is all thanks to your donations.
Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens play a vital role in supporting the Cabo Corrientes region, serving as both a center for conservation and a trusted community partner during times of crisis. As climate change increases the risk of wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, the Gardens have expanded their efforts to help protect local people, wildlife, and ecosystems.
During the devastating 2025 wildfires, which burned more than 30,000 hectares, we provided direct firefighting support and essential supplies to emergency responders. We also help local communities prepare for storms through reliable communications, close collaboration with local Ejidos, and ecological restoration efforts, including reforestation and the preservation of rare plant species through its seed and plant collections.
Preparedness is central to the Gardens’ approach. Each year, resources are dedicated to emergency training, equipment maintenance, and community education. In 2025, the Gardens hosted eight free workshops to help residents understand how to respond safely to fires and severe weather, strengthening the region’s resilience and helping communities move from reacting to emergencies to being ready for them.
Community Education: Seeding a Conservation Economy
Visitors want to enjoy the spectacular verdant landscapes and pristine beaches of Cabo Corrientes, and residents deserve economic growth and stability. The Vallarta Botanical Gardens has been working for the last two decades to engage local communities and serve as a model for sustainable tourism.
VBG currently conducts outreach to local communities to make sure they too have access to opportunities in the Gardens to enjoy and learn about their natural heritage and resources and to deepen their connection with that patrimony.
Throughout the year we run our own workshops as well as participating in community events where we educate residents of nearby towns and villages on how to identify rare endemic species, the importance of protecting the natural resources of the area, and steps they can take to do so.
We are looking to expand our programing demonstrating the economic value of healthy ecosystems, whether from eco-tourism, or valuable forest crops like vanilla.
In addition, as carbon sinks, standing forests are critical to combating climate change; VBG in the future aims to undertake detailed measurement of the mitigation value of its protected lands, and potentially be a pioneer for carbon financing in the municipality, a model which could offer environmental and economic value to surrounding communities and local landowners more broadly.
Sourcing from Small and Local Mexican Vendors
Whether the ingredients in our restaurant, the artisan handicrafts for sale in our gift shop, or the painted tiles and carved stones decorating the Gardens itself, VBG is committed to working with small Mexican farmers and entrepreneurs wherever possible.
For example, below is a selection of the creators local to Puerto Vallarta from whom we source for our gift shop. In total, we source from 35 local vendors, and many more similar artisans across Mexico:
- Café Capomo from Tomatlán
- Café Yolanda – coffee from Ixtlahuahuey
- Chocomuseo, chocolates from Puerto Vallarta
- Gerardo Ortega artisan from Guadalajara
- Honey from Talit natural products
- Jaqueline Sanchez resin artist from Sayulita
- Luna Sartiaguin, ceramacist from Tuito
- “Moonwitch Essentials” scented candles and natural products by artist Araceli Covarrubias from Puerto Vallarta
- Mundo de azulejos from Puerto Vallarta
- Red gate ceramics from Puerto Vallarta
- Vallarta Factory
- World of pewter from Puerto Vallarta
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