Mexico: Stop the destruction of Chiapas’ forests!
The forests of Mexico’s Chiapas state are among the most biodiverse on Earth, yet they face grave danger: Nearly half have already been illegally logged for timber. Please support the campaign of our partner organization, Otros Mundos Chiapas, to stop the destruction by signing our petition.
To: the Governor of Chiapas; National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR); Federal Environmental Agency (PROFEPA); Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
“Mexico’s federal and Chiapas state governments must act and enforce environmental laws to stop deforestation.”The mountains of the state of Chiapas are bursting with life. The tropical, humid climate of southern Mexico nurtures a wealth of forest ecosystems that vary with elevation.
In the valleys, mahogany trees rise majestically from the rainforest that echoes with the calls of Guatemalan howler monkeys and the distant growl of a jaguar. Higher up in the misty mountain forests, the magnificent quetzal glides through a canopy of hanging orchids and podocarps.
Chiapas is the Mexican state with the second-highest biodiversity. Its forests harbor an astonishing variety of plant and amphibian species, and seven mammals that live nowhere else on Earth.
This lush natural world stretches from the Lacandon rainforest across the central valleys and the Sierra Madre to the Pacific coast. Nearly one-third of these remaining, interconnected forests are still primary forests – ancient, untouched, and irreplaceable.
Yet half of the forests in Chiapas have already vanished. What remains is increasingly fragmented, and the soils are severely damaged by human activity. Each centimeter of soil lost to erosion takes a century to recover. As the forests recede, so too do the springs and rivers that provide drinking water for countless people.
The main driver of deforestation is demand for tropical pine and oak wood on the national market. Seventy percent of the timber traded comes from illegal sources.
The arrival of loggers almost always marks the end of the forests. Once cleared, the land is turned into cattle pastures, corn fields, plantations for coffee and oil palms, or new settlements. Since 2000, more than 360,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed in Chiapas.
Please add your voice to that of our partner organization Otros Mundos Chiapas. Urge the relevant authorities and policymakers to stop the destruction and protect these forests – the lifeblood of nature and of the people who call them home.
Start of petition: 09/01/2026
The state of Chiapas is home to an exceptional variety of ecosystems that sustain remarkable biological diversity. These habitats are home to species such as the river otter (Lontra sp.), fishing bat (Myotis vivesi), jaguarundi (a small wild cat - Herpailurus yagouaroundi), burrowing toad (Rhinophrynus dorsalis), crocodile lizard (Barisia imbricata), flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans), and dozens of hummingbird species, to name just a few. The coastal mangrove forests, in turn, provide refuge for caimans and serve as nurseries for many fish species.
All these ecosystems are essential to life on our planet and are vital sources of food, water, and ecological balance. They play a crucial role as carbon sinks and host more biodiversity than any other ecosystems on Earth. Yet with 500,000 hectares of forest cleared each year, Mexico ranks fifth worldwide for deforestation.
Deforestation intensifies the climate crisis, alters temperatures, affects rainfall, and is a driver of extinction. The consequences are devastating – not only for ecosystems but also for human health and agriculture.
Mexico is among the 20 countries contributing most to climate change through the destruction of forest ecosystems. According to FAO estimates, around 1.6 billion people worldwide – including 70 million Indigenous people – depend on forests for their livelihoods.
At the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, member states pledged to end deforestation by 2030. Yet that goal remains far from reach – in Mexico and elsewhere.
While most industrial deforestation is driven by illegal trade, agribusiness, and large-scale commercial logging, demand for firewood and charcoal used for household cooking also contributes to the problem. Our partner organizations Otros Mundos Chiapas and BioRed therefore install biogas systems in homes. The gas is used for stoves and ovens and replaces liquefied petroleum gas and firewood.
To: the Governor of Chiapas; National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR); Federal Environmental Agency (PROFEPA); Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
Dear Mr. Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar, Governor of the State of Chiapas,
Dear representatives of the state and federal environmental and forestry authorities,
We write to you with deep concern, as the forests of Chiapas are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Today, only half of Chiapas remains forested, even though the state is home to some of the greatest biodiversity in Mexico. Over the last 50 years, 43 percent of its forest cover has been lost. The Lacandon Rainforest, which once spanned 1.8 million hectares, has lost up to 70 percent of its area.
To halt this alarming trend, we urge you to address the root causes driving deforestation, soil degradation, and biodiversity loss in Chiapas. Please take the following actions:
- Stop the illegal logging of the Lacandon Rainforest and other forests of Chiapas.
- Close illegal timber trade routes and sawmills.
- Stop wildlife and plant trafficking.
- End the expansion of oil palm and other monocultures that drive deforestation, along with the spread of both extensive and intensive cattle ranching.
- Grant no concessions for mining or dams in Chiapas.
Federal and state governments must adopt effective policies and enforce environmental laws to confront deforestation in Chiapas.
We also invite you to work in partnership with Indigenous peoples to promote local solutions that protect the forests of Chiapas, which greatly contribute to the biocultural richness of Chiapas, Mexico, and our planet.
We look forward to your response regarding the actions you will take to address this issue.
Yours faithfully,