Introduction
Governments often release programs to provide coherence and institutional formality to their actions, justify bureaucracies, boost self-esteem, or attract media attention for political reasons. The recently announced “Environmental Restoration Program” by Mexico’s Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) fulfills these last two conditions. The impracticality of the program’s ambitious environmental restoration goals in Mexico is evident, as it would require massive budgets, institutions, and colossal managerial, technical, and execution capabilities that currently do not exist in the federal public administration or SEMARNAT itself, which is struggling with neglected protected natural areas.
Program’s Scope and Ambition
The program attempts to address a wide array of disparate issues, including mangroves and coastlines (public property), forests (private property of ejidos and communities), watershed restoration (complex engineering and hydrological infrastructure), soil decontamination processes, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, urban public space restoration (municipal governments’ responsibility), and overexploited federal marine islands and zones due to industrial and artisanal fishing. No rational institution would attempt to cover such a Babel of sectors.
Lack of Institutional Participation
The program’s grandiose goals lack the involvement and commitment of other relevant institutions such as SHCP, SADER, CONAGUA, CONAFOR, SEDATU, SENER, PEMEX, CFE, the Navy Secretariat, INAPESCA, and state governments. It is merely an aspirational declaration without any real programmatic attributes, overflowing with enthusiasm.
Program’s Commitments and Feasibility
The program commits to initiating restoration in 50 sites covering 1.5 million hectares by 2025, including priority watersheds like Lerma, Atoyac, and Tula. By 2030, it promises to restore 330,000 hectares of mangroves, other coastal and marine systems, and numerous islands. Simultaneously, it aims to combat deforestation, restore 100,000 hectares of forests, and 1,500 hectares of urban parks; remediate contaminated sites with hazardous substances and waste; and establish and operate ten “Areas of Marine Prosperity” (the meaning of which is unclear).
Emission Reduction Claims
The program also aims to reduce Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35% (the method remains unclear). The total surface area to be restored by 2030 approximates half of the national territory, and nearly the entire territory by 2050. SEMARNAT plans to undertake significant projects for ecosystem regeneration, ecological restoration, watershed rehabilitation, sanitation, productive restoration, reforestation, and faunal recovery.
Missing Elements in the Program
Restoration, for instance, of a single hectare of forest or jungle can cost between $2,390 and $3,450 USD (Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity—Interim Report, Brussels: European Commission). Restoring a single hectare of contaminated soil could cost tens of thousands of USD. These are merely order-of-magnitude references. Clearly, the “Environmental Restoration Program” would entail an investment of many billions of USD, excluding hydrological infrastructure and greenhouse gas emission reduction.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is the Environmental Restoration Program? It’s a recently announced initiative by SEMARNAT addressing various environmental issues, including restoring ecosystems, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and remediating contaminated sites.
- Why is the program’s feasibility questioned? The program’s ambitious goals require massive resources, institutional capabilities, and coordination among various sectors that are currently lacking.
- What are the program’s specific commitments? The program aims to restore 1.5 million hectares by 2025, including priority watersheds, and 330,000 hectares of mangroves by 2030. It also seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35%.
- What are the potential costs of such restoration efforts? Restoring a single hectare of forest or jungle could cost between $2,390 and $3,450 USD, while contaminated soil restoration could cost tens of thousands of USD. The overall investment required by the program is estimated to be in billions of USD.
- What institutions are involved in the program? The program lacks the participation and commitment of several relevant institutions, making it an aspirational declaration without real programmatic attributes.
