Mexico could redirect military budget for reforestation as environmental agencies face cuts

Key ideas:

• Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed allocating 1% of the military’s annual spending, or around $24 billion, to support six million tree planters in the reforestation of around 15 million hectares (37 million acres).
• If carried out successfully, it would be the largest reforestation effort in the country’s history, equivalent to the surface area of all of Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador combined.
• Military participation in reforestation programs has struggled in other parts of the region, critics noted, while pointing out that Mexico’s congress may cut funding for conservation in other government agencies.