The agency pledges new funding for the Sierra Tarahumara, where 9,000 hectares of forest have been lost to illegal logging since 2001, despite a 3.3% budget cut in 2026.
Cartel-linked groups control much of the logging, using intimidation, extortion, and violence, leading to displacement, drought, and food insecurity for Indigenous communities like the Rarámuri and Ódami.
Widespread impunity, alleged official collusion, and ineffective reporting systems hinder enforcement, while illegal timber trade nationwide is estimated to supply up to 70% of Mexico’s domestic market.
How can Mexico's 2030 zero-deforestation goal succeed when cartels control the forests?
Your avocados are deforestation-free. Is your furniture made from cartel 'blood timber'?
Is deep-seated poverty, not just cartel greed, the real root of this environmental crisis?
As cartels erase their lands, can embroidered stories save the Rarámuri people's memory?
With government informants aiding criminals, how can Indigenous leaders defend their land and survive?
Beyond hunger, what is the hidden mental health crisis for children raised under cartel rule?