Yes, 5 per mille of our area at the borders to neighbors fell victim to their slash-and-burn agriculture. Unfortunately, slash-and-burn agriculture is still an everyday occurrence in Mexico, including on the Yucatán Peninsula and especially in the state of Campeche. And also on some neighboring properties to the Plant-for-the-Planet areas. This is particularly frustrating for our donors and employees.
The area under the responsibility of the Mexican non-profit Plant-for-the-Planet Association covers almost 239 km2 (23,872.61 hectares) of land. To date, we have suffered two fires affecting a total of 114 hectares, or 5 per thousand of our land. In April 2018, a fire from a neighboring property spread to the northwestern portion of the Las Américas 1 renourishment area, and in November 2020, another 20 hectares burned. Fire from neighbors who were clearing large areas on their lands likely inadvertently spread to the Las Américas 1 and Las Américas 2 foundation lands, which are part of our restoration efforts. Both areas affected by fires have been or are being reforested.
Global Forest Watch shows that Campeche lost 779,000 hectares of trees between 2001 and 2020, representing a 17% decline in tree cover since 2000 and 295 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Of all Mexican states, the state of Campeche suffered the greatest forest loss between 2001 and 2020 (see https://gfw.global/2WpAc7b). It is therefore all the more important that we do not let ourselves be discouraged by setbacks and plant even more trees.
