Mexico’s 2030 Plan to Restore Ecosystems & Fight Deforestation

Mexico City — The Mexican environmental sector has presented the National Restoration Program, a comprehensive initiative aimed at reversing ecological degradation across the country. The plan involves collaboration between all levels of government, civil society, academia, and the private sector to ensure compliance with national and international commitments.

Ambitious Restoration Goals

The program sets specific targets, including the restoration of five percent of coastal-marine ecosystems—primarily mangroves—by 2025, scaling up to 50 percent by 2030. Alicia Bárcena, head of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), emphasized that the plan also includes restoring 26,000 hectares of forest ecosystems in 2025 and 73,100 hectares by 2030, with a net-zero deforestation goal. Additionally, 800 hectares of urban parks and forests will be rehabilitated in 2025, expanding to 1,500 hectares by 2030.

Bárcena highlighted the severity of the environmental crisis, stating, "We have a very severe diagnosis: five percent of the territory is in extremely degraded conditions, with 9.5 million hectares requiring urgent intervention."

Priority Basins and Marine Areas

The program also prioritizes the remediation of four critical watersheds by 2030: Tula, Lerma-Santiago, Atoyac, and Río Sonora, along with the restoration of two reservoirs (Endhó and Zapotillo). Furthermore, ten degraded sites in the Gulf of California will be designated as Marine Prosperity Areas by 2030. These efforts will involve community participation, monitoring, and enforcement to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent by the same year.

Funding and Implementation

Bárcena revealed that a trust fund managed by the Agency for Safety, Energy, and Environment (ASEA) will finance restoration projects. The fund is sustained by fines and penalties imposed on the hydrocarbon sector.

Key Restoration Sites (2025–2026)

Coastal and Marine Systems

• Macroalgae Forest
• Alto Golfo de California and Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve
• Bay of La Paz
• Cuyutlán Lagoon
• Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserve
• Manzanillo Beach
• Coyuca de Benítez Lagoon
• Laguna Negra de Puerto Marqués
• Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve
• Ría Celestún Biosphere Reserve
• Puerto Morelos National Park
• Nichupté-Bojorquez Lagoon System
• Atasta Peninsula
• Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve
• María Madre Island
• Islands of the Gulf of California
• Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve
• Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres National Park
• Punta Cancún and Punta Nizuc
• Isla Contoy National Park

Forest Zones

• Chocho Mixteca Region
• Báalam-Beh Biological Corridor (Yucatán Peninsula)
• Cumbres de Monterrey National Park
• Lake Cuitzeo Basin
• Lake Pátzcuaro Basin
• Central Valleys
• Los Tuxtlas
• Pico de Orizaba
• Zacatecano Semidesert
• Mapimi
• Zicuirán Infiernillo
• Pico de Tancítaro
• Nevado de Toluca
• Canoas
• Sierra de Manantlán

Urban Parks and Forests

• El Chamizal Park
• Ecological and Circular Economy Park
• Francisco Villa Park
• Papagayo Park
• Four polygons in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area
• Viveros de Coyoacán

The program represents a significant step toward Mexico’s environmental recovery, with measurable targets and multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure long-term sustainability.