Mexico's Conservation Milestone: 20 New Protected Areas

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) recently designated 20 new sites as Natural Protected Areas (ANP). This brings the total number of ANPs in the country to 225, with 43 of them having been declared as ANPs under the current administration.

Through 20 decrees signed by President López Obrador and published this Monday in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF), the federal government issued the declarations for the new ANPs located in different parts of Mexico. The publication of the decrees was celebrated by María Luisa Albores, Minister, SEMARNAT, who emphasized that this brings the total number of protected areas to 225, encompassing approximately 95 million ha throughout the country.

ANPs encompass territories within the national jurisdiction where the original environments remain largely unaffected by human activities or that require preservation and restoration due to their integral ecological functions. The recent designation of 20 new ANPs adds up to a total of 2.3 million ha across 16 states of the country.

Seven of these new ANPs were designated as sanctuaries including Playas Chenkan in Campeche, Platanitos in Nayarit, Cahuitan in Oaxaca, Cotorra Serrana Occidental in Chihuahua, Totonacapan in Veracruz, and Morro Ayutla and Barra de la Cruz-Playa Grande in Oaxaca. Additionally, four were recognized as national parks: Carmen Sedan in Puebla, Bajos del Norte in the Gulf of Mexico, the Marine Zone of Isla Isabel in the Gulf of California, and Nuevo Uxmal in Yucatan and Campeche.

Four sites were classified as Flora and Fauna Protection Zones: the mangroves of Puerto Morelos in Quintana Roo, the Zacatecan semidesert in Zacatecas, the La Kisst mountain wetland and Maria Eugenia in Chiapas, and Canoas in Colima. Meanwhile, three were acknowledged as Natural Resource Protection Areas: Lago Tlahuac-Xico in Mexico City, Tlachihualtepetl in Veracruz, and the rivers and mountains of the Laguna region in Durango. Lastly, two were declared as Biosphere Reserves: Sierra de Vallejo-Rio Ameca in Nayarit and Jalisco, and Sierra Tecuani in Guerrero.

In February 2023, AMLO announced that he had signed an agreement to turn all lands owned by the National Tourism Development Fund (FONATUR) into protected areas. This initiative encompassed approximately 15,000ha in various states including areas in Oaxaca, Baja California Sur, among others. President López Obrador emphasized that creating new ANPs represents a crucial endeavor. "We are betting on life,” he stated during a morning conference.