Cuajimalpa residents protest tree removal in El Ocotal forest

Residents of the Loma del Padre neighborhood and indigenous communities in Cuajimalpa, Mexico City, have mobilized to protest the planned felling of 124 trees in the El Ocotal forest. The trees have been marked with numbers, signaling potential removal by government agencies.

Authorities argue the logging is necessary to mitigate risks to the Mexico-Toluca federal highway and the Interurban Train. However, local inhabitants claim that many of the marked trees are healthy and lack the inclination or condition that would justify their removal. Protesters are demanding environmental transparency and the presentation of alternative conservation plans.

The dispute has intensified following reports that a strip of the land was acquired by the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) from Grupo Carso, shifting the focus of the conflict toward government agencies executing the works.