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International Day of Forests Highlights 'Forests and Economies' as Mexico Fights Fires, Peru Backs Community Conservation

Governments move from rhetoric to action by pairing firefighting with paid conservation for communities.

Overview

  • The UN-designated day for 2026 centers on the theme 'Forests and economies', emphasizing forests’ roles in development and social well-being.
  • Mexico City reports that about 60% of its territory is conservation land that helps recharge aquifers supplying roughly 70% of the capital’s water.
  • Authorities attribute 90% of fires to human activity, flag climate-driven pest pressures, and have deployed 200 brigades to safeguard areas including Desierto de los Leones.
  • Mexico’s protected-areas agency reported 35 active wildfires affecting about 8,840 hectares across 13 states, with more than 1,200 firefighters engaged as of March 20.
  • Peru’s environment ministry will deliver over S/13.5 million through Programa Bosques to more than 85 native communities to conserve about 800,000 hectares, benefiting roughly 4,400 families with support from the IDB and World Bank.