Mexico City Declares 10 Historic Trees Natural Heritage for Climate and Environmental Value

Mexico City has officially designated 10 trees as Natural Heritage, including seven ahuehuetes, a white cedar, an olive tree, and an oak. The decree, issued by the city's environment ministry SEDEMA, imposes a special protection regime that restricts any construction, excavation, or interventions that could harm the trees' trunks, roots, or branches. The trees are valued for their age, ecological importance, and historical ties to local communities, and will be managed under technical and environmental criteria. Urban trees provide measurable ecosystem services: they capture CO2, store carbon in their tissues, filter air pollutants, retain rainwater, and support urban biodiversity. The article also notes the EU's EUTreeTag campaign, which quantifies these services using the i-Tree engine, displaying metrics like oxygen production, rainwater retention, and kilograms of CO2 removed per tree. Such initiatives highlight the growing recognition of trees as critical green infrastructure in climate adaptation and mitigation.