Mexico Updates National Forest Zoning System

Mexico City, Mexico — The National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) has published a new agreement in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) that integrates and organizes forest zoning in Mexico, while repealing the agreement issued in 2011. This measure responds to the incorporation and updating of technical and documentary inputs necessary to identify and order the country’s forest lands.

Methodology Incorporates Updated Environmental Information

According to the official document, the methodology for the new forest zoning was constructed from nine data and information inputs, which allow for defining criteria and characteristics for the correct generation and grouping of forest zones.

Among the main sources used are the coverage of federal Natural Protected Areas from 2023, prepared by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP); the distribution of Mexico’s mangroves from 2015, from the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO); as well as the vector dataset of land use and vegetation from 2018 from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).

Regulatory Approval and Institutional Support

The methodology was developed in accordance with current forestry regulations and subsequently reviewed and authorized through official letter number SBRA/DGGFSOE/418/0330/2025, issued on April 15, 2025, which gives legal validity to the new agreement.

Alignment with the National Development Plan 2025-2030

The new forest zoning scheme is aligned with the National Development Plan 2025-2030, which establishes as one of its central objectives achieving a balance between economic, social, and environmental development.

This approach seeks to preserve the environment, avoid irreversible damage to ecosystems, prevent the depletion of natural resources, and guarantee their sustainable use for future generations.

Key Instrument of National Forest Policy

Forest zoning is one of the eight technical instruments of national forest policy. Its main function is to identify, group, and order forest and preferably forest lands within the country’s watersheds, under criteria of conservation, restoration, and sustainable management.

Three Categories for Forest Land Management

The agreement establishes that forest lands are classified into three broad categories:

• Zones of conservation and restricted or prohibited use
• Production zones
• Restoration zones

Each of these categories is integrated, in turn, by various subcategories, which allows for more precise management in accordance with the environmental and productive characteristics of each region of the country.