Campeche to invest 34.8 million pesos to restore damaged mangroves

Authorities in Campeche, Mexico, have announced a joint financial and operational rescue plan to restore mangrove ecosystems in the Atasta Peninsula. Through a concurrent funding agreement between the state government and the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), a total of 34.8 million pesos will be allocated to the project. The federal government will contribute 23.25 million pesos, while the state will provide 11.6 million pesos.

The restoration efforts, scheduled to begin in January 2027 and potentially span three years, aim to intervene in the municipalities of Atasta and San Antonio Cárdenas. Scientific research conducted by the Institute of Ecology, Fisheries, and Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico (Epomex) indicates that approximately 8,600 hectares of black mangrove have died or suffered irreversible deterioration.

Experts identified the primary causes of this environmental crisis as human-driven factors rather than natural pests. The report highlights that the uncontrolled release of agricultural fertilizers has caused eutrophication, depriving mangrove roots of oxygen. This chemical asphyxiation, combined with high salinity from silted channels and severe droughts, weakened the ecosystem, leaving it vulnerable to opportunistic attacks by the wood-boring beetle.