Playa del Carmen Grows Native Trees to Reforest City and Improve Urban Image

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Municipal authorities are using regionally grown trees from local nurseries to reforest the city and prevent future damage to urban infrastructure, officials announced.

Julieta Martín, secretary of Municipal Public Services, said the varieties being cultivated include ramón, soursop, and other species adapted to the region.

“The most important thing for us is to replace where a tree or palm has died, to restore that shade,” Martín said, referring to work on medians and parks.

Over the past 18 months, the administration has produced more than 1,400 saplings measuring between 20 and 40 centimeters in municipal nurseries, where they are cared for before being planted in various parts of the city.

Some palm trees along the federal highway have recently died and were removed, replaced by locally grown specimens. “We know they will grow stronger because they are already adapted from the nursery,” Martín said.

Regarding complaints from residents of new housing developments about a lack of trees and shade on sidewalks, Martín said that Urban Development and Public Works must first establish guidelines for tree planting and urban design. “Remember, all of this has to go through Urban Development,” she noted.

She added that the Public Services department recommends using trees with deep roots to avoid future damage to sidewalks and roads.

Residents in some newer neighborhoods say they must walk long distances under the sun due to the absence of green areas and shade.