Tree Experts Urge Playa del Carmen to Boost Reforestation to Combat Heat Waves

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — A tree care specialist is urging authorities and residents to step up reforestation efforts in this coastal city, saying that growing expanses of concrete are amplifying the effects of extreme heat.

Rafael Reynoso Valdez, a representative of the Mexican Association of Arboriculture’s Southeast delegation, said that in recent years, concrete surfaces have increased significantly across Playa del Carmen, while green spaces in urbanized areas have shrunk.

He called on local authorities to enforce the State Urban Tree Law and municipal environmental regulations, which would require companies to include green areas in their construction projects. He pointed specifically to shopping centers, which typically feature large concrete plazas and asphalt parking lots.

“Authorities need to step up and enforce the law,” Reynoso Valdez said. “The State Urban Tree Law includes an article that requires monitoring trees that can provide natural shade and preserving them at commercial establishments. It is in the law.”

Reynoso Valdez also recalled that several years ago, the Playa del Carmen city council came close to launching a tree-planting project in partnership with the business sector, but the initiative stalled after a change in administration. He said the municipal government should revive the project, describing it as viable and necessary given the rising number of heat waves in the region in recent years.