Mexico, UNDP to Combat Illegal Logging

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mexico are working together to establish a national roadmap to combat illegal logging.

Over the course of two days, workshops were held to exchange proposals and local best practices, with the aim of designing a joint and coordinated strategy to address clandestine logging. Through regional roundtables, participants worked to define short, medium, and long-term actions at the state, regional, and national levels, addressing the key dimensions of the issue. Once systematized, the results of the workshops will form the basis for a roadmap to be implemented during the 2025–2030 period.

Alicia Bárcena, Head of SEMARNAT, emphasized that oversight and monitoring efforts in the country’s forested areas, covering 138 million ha, or 71% of Mexico’s territory, that will be expanded. “We must approach this task with the utmost seriousness, because protecting forests, restoring ecosystems, and conserving our natural areas is essential,” she said.

Lorenzo Jiménez, Representative, UNDP Mexico, stated that UNDP’s participation in the workshop highlights the vital role of technical development cooperation agencies in working alongside governments to promote public policy, design strategic planning spaces, and strengthen governance. “This is essential for countries, states, or municipalities to be able to respond to everyday challenges,” he added.

The event brought together representatives from 31 SEMARNAT field offices, as well as delegates from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (PROFEPA); the General Directorate for Forest Management, Soils and Ecological Land-Use Planning (DGGFSOE); the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO); and the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), among other institutions.

A study conducted in 2020 by CDP Latin America and the Mexican Climate Community (CCM) found that 21 Mexican states reported deforestation as a significant issue in their territories. The main drivers identified were forest fires, land-use changes for livestock, illegal logging, and both small and large-scale agriculture. Together, these factors have affected 84% of the country’s land area.

According to CONAFOR data, an average of 203,552ha of forest have been lost annually between 2001 and 2024. Beyond environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, illegal logging also directly contributes to worsening drought conditions, leading to water shortages for human consumption, industry, and agriculture. The latest report from the National Drought Monitor indicates that as of July 15, 2025, 17.7% of the national territory was experiencing drought ranging from moderate to exceptional.

Deforestation also results in significant economic losses for the legal timber market. According to the 2022 report Estimation of Economic Losses from Illegal Logging in Mexico, losses are estimated at MX$97 billion (US$5.2 billion) in potential revenue each year. This figure was calculated based on data from PROFEPA and UNAM, which suggests that at least 70% of the wood sold in the country originates from illegal sources.

Nationally, the leading legal wood-producing states include Chiapas, Chihuahua, Durango, State of Mexico, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacan, Oaxaca, and Puebla. According to CONAFOR, 76% of the country’s timber production comes from community forests managed by ejidos and local communities with forest management programs, while the remaining 24% comes from private lands or commercial plantations.