Lake Texcoco was declared a Natural Protected Area

The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced that today, March 22, 2020, the decree declaring Lake Texcoco as a Protected Natural Area (ANP) comes into force. It was the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), María Luisa Albores González, who reported on the details of the declaration published in the Official Gazette of the Federation.

He stated that with this, López Obrador is fulfilling two commitments he made at the beginning of his six-year term: the inauguration of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport and the declaration of this area as an ANP that was promised following the popular consultation for the construction of the New CDMX Airport (NAICM) held in October 2018.

According to the decree, the area comprises 14,000 hectares of which almost 10,660 are in the federal zone, 2,971 are of ejido tenure and 379 of other types such as private property. The Mexican municipalities that it covers are Atenco, Texcoco, Chimalhuacán, Nezahualcoyotl and Ecatepec; within them, work is carried out in 11 agrarian nuclei.

The declaration is part of World Water Day, so, the secretary said, “it is a gift for all Mexicans”.

He also commented that the environmental importance of ANP lies in its character as the main water regulator in the Valley of Mexico and as a climate regulator that will increase ventilation and regulate the temperature of the area.

Thanks to the decree, more than 678 species of flora and fauna will be cared for, including some of the most representative of the basin of the valley of Mexico. In addition, the shelter will be protected for the more than 150 thousand specimens of migratory birds that arrive in winter.

Lake Texcoco has a biocultural identity due to the management and use of spirulina algae, ahuautle, tequesquite and the protection of the axolotl, coupled with the historical importance that has for the Mexican people, because, as María Luisa Albores explained, this lake is present in the national coat of arms.

The ANP decree will allow activities in the area such as ecotourism, ecological restoration, reforestation with native species, agriculture and livestock oriented to sustainability and utilization through Wildlife Conservation Management Units (UMAs).

And it will prohibit the alteration or destruction of wildlife ecosystems, the development of real estate developments or new population centers, new exploration and mining works, as well as the modification of the natural environment of historical archaeological remains.

For his part, Iñaki Echeverría, in charge of the Lago de Texcoco Ecological Park, said that the 14,000 hectares will be protected with an investment of 4,566 million pesos, thus directly benefiting a total population of 12.5 million inhabitants.

He reported that there is currently an overall physical advance of 24.23% distributed in actions such as cultural sports equipment, a visitor center, a nursery, access and roads to the park, the recovery of Lake Nabor Carrillo, the restoration of the Ciénega de San Juan and the recovery of the Xalapango and Texcoco Norte lagoons .

He announced that work was being done with the People's Front in Defense of the Land to build two wetlands for water treatment and it was agreed to carry out another three, adding a total of five. The conceptual project is now completed and, announced by the manager, is in the process of being tendered.

The completion of all works is planned for 2023.

KEEP READING: