Mexico’s Dual Fight: Screwworm Crisis & Forest Pact

Recent history in Mexico reminds us that crises, far from being mere contingencies, are moments that expose the fragility of our institutions and the urgency of rethinking our future. The return of the screwworm fly—a parasite that devours living flesh, affecting both livestock and humans—has become one of the greatest challenges for the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Simultaneously, the federal government is spearheading a historic agreement with Guatemala and Belize to preserve the Maya Forest, the second-largest lung of the continent. Two seemingly unrelated events, yet profoundly intertwined: the fight for health and the fight for life.

Since 2024, the screwworm fly reappeared in Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, with more than 360 confirmed cases in animals and several in humans. The health crisis struck the livestock sector and, immediately, the national economy: livestock exports plummeted more than 60 percent in just four months. The plague not only challenged producers but also trade relations with the United States, which closed its borders and tightened controls under criteria that were more political than technical.

The response from Sheinbaum’s government has been forceful. A zoosanitary emergency was declared, sanitary cordons were established, and the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) was deployed, with a plant under construction in Chiapas that will produce 100 million sterile flies per week. This is a long-term scientific effort, with international cooperation, but with clear national leadership: Mexico refuses to be held hostage by plagues or external pressures.

The screwworm fly is not only a biological threat; it is also a reminder of interdependence and the vulnerability of our production chains. Faced with the unilateral closure of the northern border, Sheinbaum has maintained a firm discourse: health cannot be an excuse for disguised protectionism. Sovereignty is exercised with science, with international protocols, and with decisions backed by evidence, not political whims.

Furthermore, Mexico has turned the crisis into an opportunity: forced to redirect production toward the domestic market, the possibility has opened to reconfigure the livestock industry, betting on industrialization, added value, and resilience in the face of external volatility.

Parallel to the emergency, on August 15, 2025, President Sheinbaum, alongside Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala and Johnny Briceño of Belize, signed the Agreement for the Biocultural Corridor of the Great Maya Forest in Calakmul. It encompasses more than 5.7 million protected hectares, integrating 50 natural areas under a vision of environmental and social justice.

The pact is not limited to ecological conservation: it involves regenerating soils, strengthening food security, combating illegal logging and species trafficking, and ensuring the sustainable development of two million local inhabitants.

This agreement has deep political significance: at a time when humanity seems condemned to destroy its environment, Mexico is betting on regional integration that places nature at the center of the agenda. The Maya Forest is not only a biological heritage: it is a civilizational project.

The screwworm fly and the Maya Forest are two sides of the same coin: the tension between destruction and preservation, between crisis and hope. In the first case, nature presents itself as a threat, forcing us to deploy science, organization, and cooperation. In the second, it shows itself as a legacy, demanding care, respect, and a vision for the future.

The administration of Claudia Sheinbaum has had to face the paradox of combating the life that destroys and, at the same time, preserving the life that sustains. It is there that the true meaning of politics is played out: not in managing routine, but in confronting the unexpected with audacity and building horizons with responsibility.

The underlying question is whether we will be capable of transforming this dual experience into a state policy that transcends presidential terms. Will Mexico be able to consolidate a strategy that articulates health defense with ecological preservation? Will we have the maturity to see that sovereignty is defended both at the border with the United States and in the forest shared with Guatemala and Belize?

The screwworm fly reminds us how fragile we are. The Maya Forest, in contrast, reminds us how strong we can be if we decide to care for what gives us life.