- Mexico introduced six new national parks and seven flora and fauna protection areas covering 17,918 hectares (44,276 acres) to be overseen by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp).
- The protected areas are located in the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Oaxaca and Guerrero.
- Mexico now has 200 federally protected areas.
MEXICO CITY — Officials this week announced the creation of 13 new protected areas across six states in Mexico, putting the country’s list of total federally protected areas at 200.
Mexico introduced six new national parks and seven “flora and fauna protection areas” covering 17,918 hectares (44,276 acres) to be overseen by the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (Conanp). The commission said it expects to declare three additional protected areas by the end of the month.
“It gives us much pleasure that in this administration…we can leave behind such a grand legacy for the Mexican people,” said secretary of the environment and natural resources María Luisa Albores González at a press conference.
The 85-hectare (210-acre) San Quintin National Park was created in Baja California. The 2,076- hectare (5,129-acre) Nopoló National Park and 6,217-hectare (15,362-acre) Loreto II National Park were created in Baja California Sur.
The 4-hectare (9.8-acre) Playa Delfines Flora and Fauna Protection Area, 16-hectare (39-acre) Jacinto Pat Flora and Fauna Protection Area, 37-hectare (91-acre) San Buenaventura Flora and Fauna Protection Area and 10-hectare (24-acre) Cenote Aerolito Flora and Fauna Protection Area were all created in Quintana Roo.
The 2,489-hectare (6,150-acre) Juan M. Banderas Flora and Fauna Protection Area was created in Sinaloa.
The 723-hectare (1,786-acre) Vicente Guerrero National Park and 282-hectare (697-acre) Hermenegildo Galeana Flora and Fauna Protection Area were created in Guerrero.
In the state of Oaxaca, three protected areas were created: the 1,923-hectare (4,751-acre) Bajos de Coyula Flora and Fauna Protection Area, the 2,237-hectare (5,527-acre) Huatulco II National Park and 1,812-hectare (4,477-acre) Ricardo Flores Magón National Park.
Plans for the management of the new protected areas weren’t available at the time of the announcement.
The wave of new of protected areas came in response to a mandate from President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to establish a conservation status in areas with “high environmental value.” Since taking office in 2018, López Obrador’s administration has protected over 4 million hectares (9.8 million acres) of land and water.
“I want to go down in history as the president with the second-most protected reserves created,” López Obrador said earlier this year. “…Lázaro Cárdenas has the first spot. I want to aspire to that.”
Banner image: Huatulco National Park in Oaxaca. Photo courtesy of Conanp.
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