Mexico Launches National Pact to Protect Forests

Mexico is introducing the Great National Agreement for Forests and Mangroves, which establishes a coordinated framework for forest conservation, restoration, sustainable forestry, mangrove protection and action against illegal logging, with participation from government, communities, companies and civil society. The policy has implications for forestry, agriculture, tourism, and other land-based industries by strengthening sustainable supply chains, community forestry and environmental services while supporting Mexico’s climate and biodiversity objectives.

Mexico’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) signed the Great National Agreement for Forests and Mangroves, calling on the academic and private sectors, as well as civil society, to establish a collective pact in favor of nature. The alliance has the support of more than 100 companies, local governments, and organizations that have already committed resources. It is also a call for communities to combat illegal logging and promote the sustainable use of Mexico’s forests, said Alicia Bárcena, Minister of the Environment.

“This agreement is an opportunity to deepen consideration of the value of ecosystems, promote deforestation-free sustainable development and strengthen the commercialization of legally sourced forest products,” says Bárcena.

During the meeting, the parties established 10 commitments under the agreement: conserve and restore forest ecosystems; protect mangroves; promote sustainable agricultural production; strengthen community forestry and local development; promote women-led forestry enterprises; establish sustainable forest value chains; promote financing for Payments for Environmental Services; prevent forest fires; curb illegal logging; and simplify procedures for producer communities.

Bárcena noted that the production of forest raw materials accounts for nearly 0.3% of Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “The deterioration of forests is the result of a system in which timber is extracted without taking into consideration the time required for trees to grow and the need for reforestation,” she warned.

Between 2010 and 2022, national timber production ranged from 5.6 million to 8.8 million m³ of roundwood, with an annual average value of MX$6.9 million. Between 2009 and 2018, the states of Durango, Chihuahua, Michoacan, and Oaxaca were the leading producers of coniferous timber, accounting for 62.6% of the national volume, according to the University of Guanajuato.

Moreover, 60% of forest lands covered by forests, mangroves, and other forest vegetation are under the stewardship of Indigenous peoples, ejidos, and local communities. These groups have entered into 69 Payments for Environmental Services agreements supported by the government, private sector and civil society organizations.

Sergio Graf, Director General, CONAFOR, says the institution’s 25th anniversary represents an opportunity to recognize the work carried out over the past quarter-century, but also to assume the responsibility of strengthening forest policy in response to current challenges. “Reaching this anniversary invites us, first and foremost, to look back with gratitude. But it also requires us to look ahead with responsibility, because a public institution dedicated to forest ecosystems and the communities that inhabit them cannot be conceived in short cycles,” he says.

Graf highlights the importance of the agreement, emphasizing that environmental challenges require effective coordination among the three levels of government, different sectors, communities, ejidos, academia, civil society, the private sector, and international cooperation.

Overview of Mexico’s Forests 

Mexico has an enormous diversity of ecosystems. The country is one of 12 nations that together safeguard nearly 70% of the planet’s biological diversity. Approximately 138Mha have vegetation cover, representing more than 70% of the country’s territory, while 66.7Mha correspond to forested areas.

However, this natural wealth faces persistent pressure from deforestation and land-use change. According to CONAFOR, Mexico lost an average of 203,552 ha of forest cover annually between 2001 and 2024. The main driver was the conversion of forest land to pasture for livestock production, which accounted for 73.3% of gross deforestation, followed by conversion to agricultural land at 22%. Other pressures include illegal land-use change, illegal logging, forest fires, pests and diseases, and inadequate forest management.

In particular, highly biodiverse ecosystems such as tropical forests, which extend across San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, the Yucatan Peninsula, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Guerrero, have undergone extensive transformation as a result of human activity. Julieta Benítez, Researcher, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), says that only 6% to 12% of the original area remains intact, as the transformation process accelerated during the 1980s and 1990s, when approximately 48% of native vegetation cover was replaced by crops and pastures, particularly in southeastern Mexico.

In the case of temperate forests, which cover approximately 33Mha in Mexico, the loss of primary vegetation has also been significant. Between 1993 and 2002, these forests lost 10.5% of their primary vegetation cover, according to data compiled by the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO). More recent estimates indicate that Mexico loses approximately 40,000 ha of temperate forests annually, driven mainly by deforestation, land-use change for livestock and agriculture, and unsustainable forest management.

Furthermore, in coastal regions, mangrove coverage declined from 905,086 ha in 2020 to 877,464 ha in 2025, representing a total loss of 27,622 ha. Real estate development, illegal clearing, agriculture and aquaculture are among the main pressures on these coastal ecosystems, according to CONABIO.

Actions to Restore Ecosystems

Across different regions of the country, ecosystem conservation and restoration projects are being implemented through partnerships between the federal government and state and local governments, in collaboration with civil society organizations and the private sector. At the national level, Mexico recently launched a broad reforestation effort as part of the government’s forest restoration strategy. The 2026 National Reforestation Campaign covered all 32 states, 621 municipalities and 1,632 agrarian communities, with the participation of more than 235,000 people. The initiative aimed to plant 6.6 million trees and plants across 32,184 ha. The government has also set a target of producing and planting 1.5 billion trees, plants and seeds by 2030, combining the efforts of federal and local authorities, communities, universities, and civil society organizations.

In the case of mangroves, the RE3CO initiative, led by WRI Mexico in partnership with the United Nations and financed by HSBC’s Nature-Based Solutions Accelerator, promotes community-led restoration, conservation and sustainable management across the Yucatan Peninsula, Tabasco, and Oaxaca. The initiative aims to restore 1,400 ha and conserve 4,800 ha across 10 sites, while supporting sustainable economic activities such as beekeeping, ecotourism and fishing. It also seeks to increase carbon storage, strengthen coastal resilience and generate employment and income opportunities for local communities.

Within the framework of the Great National Agreement for Forests and Mangroves, these initiatives exemplify the type of coordinated action needed to protect and restore Mexico’s forest ecosystems, bringing together government, communities, civil society, and the private sector around long-term conservation and sustainable management.

“This agreement represents making peace with forests, combating illegal logging, working collectively and carrying out sustainable work. We have been damaging our forests for a long time; no one considers how many years of a tree’s life it took to grow, how many years a mangrove took, or how much true reforestation costs,” Bárcena says.