Ecobreves – MEXICO: Highway Halted Through Forest

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

MEXICO CITY, Apr 7 2008 (IPS) - The Mexican government has postponed approval of a new highway near the capital that would affect 120,000 hectares of forest that are home to a vast biodiversity, following heavy pressure from local farmers and environmentalists. The Environment Secretariat was to decide in March if it would give the green light to construction of the 62-kilometer highway, but put off the decision until May, saying it lacked studies of the potential impacts on the Gran Bosque del Agua, a forest that includes territory of the central states of Morelos and Mexico and of the capital district.

“All indications are that the ridiculous project was cancelled,” farmer Elena López, who alongside many of her neighbors in Morelos staged a protest march last month against the proposed highway, told Tierramérica.

However, a source from the Environment Secretariat told Tierramérica that no final decision has been made.