Cancun Program Plants Fruit Trees in Schools to Boost Environmental Awareness

Cancun, Quintana Roo — A nonprofit organization has planted 550 fruit trees in 25 elementary schools across Benito Juarez municipality since 2022, reaching nearly 6,000 students through a program called “Reforestar para Vivir” (Reforest to Live).

The initiative, led by the civil association Por Amor a la Madre Tierra (For Love of Mother Earth) and its director Edgar Dominguez, focuses on planting fruit trees such as sour orange, ciricote, soursop, chicozapote, and mango. Students participate in workshops, planting, and caring for the trees.

“Part of the program’s focus is not only that children plant the tree, but that they adopt it — meaning the kids take responsibility for watering and caring for it for a year,” Dominguez said. “The idea is that children see a direct benefit, like the shade the tree provides and the fruit for their lunch. If a child eats a mango from their tree, they won’t let it die. This creates and reinforces an environmental awareness.”

Most participating schools are in the Villas Otoch neighborhood and regions 94, 95, and 96, as well as Cancun’s founding zone.

For 2026, the program aims to reach 40 schools and 10,000 children, planting 1,000 new fruit trees, including in parks. It also plans to create school gardens in at least five elementary schools as a pilot project, installing sensors to demonstrate how a tree can lower ambient temperature by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius.

“Cancun has a heat island where temperatures are up to 5 degrees Celsius higher than in wooded areas,” Dominguez said. “That’s why the municipality and associations are planting native trees like maculis, mahogany, and ciricote. ‘Reforestar para Vivir’ focuses on fruit trees because they resonate more with children.”