Three Million Trees Planted in Mexico City This Summer

Earlier this summer Mexican President Felipe Calderón unveiled his government's National Climate Change Strategy, a plan with specific targets for reducing as much as 25 billion tons of CO2. The plan isn't pegged to any particular year's levels, but lists opportunities for emissions reduction and carbon capture by 2014.

The comprehensive carbon-sequestration section features a call to plant 250 million trees in 2007, the development of wood-based biofuels in forest communities and restoration of agricultural lands. While the tree-planting goal is obviously quite ambitious, the Distrito Federal, or Federal District, which encompasses much of Mexico City, has made a solid contribution to the goal by planting three million trees in 25 communities over 49,000 acres (20,000 hectares) in the district's rural southern zone.

According to the National Forest Commission (Spanish link), as of mid August, 50 million tree seedlings had been distributed around the country, which means they may reach the goal of 250 million trees by year's end.

The Distrito Federal loses on average 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of natural areas per year, and while the state has set aside 200,000 acres (80,000 hectares) for conservation purposes, only 158,000 acres (64,000 hectares) remain due to illegal logging and squatting. :: Via ::Reforma (Spanish link and subscription required)