Birth Name: Andrea De Vivo Creazzo
Birth Date: (age 24)
Birth Place: La Guajira
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Height: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
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Miss Earth 2011
BIOGRAPHY:INTERVIEW: What environmental project will you create to promote the protection of Mother Earth and why?
Consistent with my environmental advocacy of wildlife preservation, my environmental project aims to curb some of its major threats. Because we have received the benefits of biodiversity for free, we tend to take it for granted. As humans, we are an essential part of the environment, and with over 6 billion people on Earth our combined efforts have a huge impact on our world. Therefore, the first part to this project starts at a grass roots level, through education, awareness and eco-friendly day-to-day decisions.
The second part of the project considers that the preservation of species and ecosystems can be achieved mainly through government action and intervention. Protected areas are the major instrument in the preservation of biodiversity. Therefore, it is essential to foster dialogue between the government, conservationists, indigenous communities and other interest groups in order to develop strategies and regulations that perpetuate and enlarge protected areas nationally and internationally.
Human beings depend on a healthy and diverse planet. When the Earth suffers, so do we.
What makes you proud of the country you are representing, and what can you promote about your country?
I am proud to be born in such an ecologically and ethnically rich country. Our unique geographical conditions, from the highlands of the Andes, to the Amazon rainforest, and our privileged location, between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, makes Colombia the most bio-diverse country per square kilometer in the world. With 10% of the world's flora and fauna, we rank first in the world for variety of birds, second in variety of plants and amphibians and third in reptiles and palms.
Colombia's multicultural population reflects its colorful history. The mix of native inhabitants, Africans, Spanish settlers, and immigrants from Europe and the Middle East, left us with a rich cultural heritage. Colombians are festive, joyful, hospitable and hard-working people who are very proud of their country.
In the past few years, we have progressed significantly and have obtained many achievements in terms of safety, economic and social development, foreign investment, ecology and tourism. Colombia is Passion. Today, the only risk of coming to Colombia is falling in love with its landscape, its people, its cuisine, its fairs, festivities and culture… and wanting to stay.
Describe your childhood/growing years.
I am from Northern Colombia, from the state of La Guajira, a desert region where an Amerindian ethnic group called Wayuu live. Because of my father's job, we lived in a small town close to a national park called Macuira, an oasis in the middle of the desert. I was taught to love and respect nature, as we were always in contact with it.
As a child, I would talk my brothers into rehearsing and performing Christmas shows for our friends and family. They would dance to Backstreet Boys and imitate current, popular Latin American talk shows in front of all of our guests, and then I would sing and dance Shakira's songs like the whole world was watching. As I grew up, I found other ways of being a leader and I began participating in Model United Nations Conferences nationwide, presiding over several committees, and learning about important environmental, security and social issues affecting our world.
What lessons did you learn from your childhood/growing years?
My family has always been the pillar of my life. My parents are my role models and they have taught me by example. My father has worked very hard to become who he is today and from him I learned to follow my dreams, and that the more you get, the more you should give in return. He was always involved in helping the less fortunate communities in La Guajira and seeing how his actions changed people's lives is a life lesson for me. From my mother, I learned to trust God and that His plans for us are perfect. I have been very fortunate to live in different countries and to meet many special people who have taught me to appreciate the world and who make up the person I am today.
What is your most memorable moment?
One of my most memorable moments is a special conversation I had with my grandfather. I had always known that Nonno, as all of his grandchildren called him, had smoked cigarettes from a very young age. But when I was 15 years old, he revealed to me the reason why he quit; when my mother was pregnant with me, she told him that unless he stopped his usual 3 packets a day, he would not be able to be around his first granddaughter, because she did not want her baby exposed to that. That is how, in July 1987, after 42 years of smoking and trying to quit, he finally did. The process was hard and he struggled, but it was all out of love for me and for our family. He said that holding me in his arms for the first time made it all worth it. His sacrifice made him live longer than doctors expected him to, and I was able to have him in my life and share that moment with him. Nonno passed away in 2004, but his memory will live in me forever.
What is your environmental advocacy?
My environmental advocacy is wildlife conservation. Wildlife conservation refers to the protection and restoration of species and their supporting ecosystems, particularly in relation to endangered species. All uses of wildlife should be sustainable and not injurious to the conservation of biodiversity. Therefore, it is vital to identify and curb its major threats, which include habitat loss, climate change, the use of pesticides and toxic chemicals, forest mismanagement, pollution, global market factors and over-exploitation of resources. For life on Earth to carry on and thrive, biodiversity in the environment must be preserved intact, as it upholds the health of the planet and has a direct impact on all our lives. The worst part is that as biodiversity decreases, our use of resources actually increases. WWF estimates that biodiversity has declined by more than 25% in the last 35 years. No one can escape the impact of biodiversity loss, and there is no turning back.
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