Huge Step for Mexico's Biodiversity: Mandating Wildlife Crossings in Infrastructure Projects
In a significant move for biodiversity conservation, Mexico has made new legislation that will transform its road infrastructure strategies. Moving forward, it will be mandatory for all new road, highway, and freeway construction projects and the modernization of existing infrastructure to incorporate wildlife crossings in their design and conservation frameworks.
"This is a great achievement that we feel a part of. For almost ten years, Wildlands Network Mexico has been promoting wildlife crossings–bridges or tunnels designed so that animals, from small invertebrates to large mammals, can safely cross roads and other infrastructure–not only to reduce the amount of wildlife that dies every day on our roads but to reduce and mitigate the fragmentation of their habitat." – Mirna Manteca, Wildlands Network's Northwest Mexico Program Co-Director.
Wildlands Network's work and advocacy on road ecology has inspired similar changes at the state level in Sonora and has been presented at engineering conferences and shared with decision-makers. It now continues to tip the balance in favor of safe passages for wildlife. In 2018, together with the Mexican organization Anima Efferus, we had the opportunity to present the issue to the Chamber of Deputies and review the first version of the bill. Thanks to the incredible momentum of advocates, local experts and legislators from both chambers, the addition of Article 22 Bis to the Federal Roads, Bridges and Auto-transportation Law has been approved and was published on November 15, 2023, in the Official Journal of the Federation (equivalent to the Federal Register in the US) and will go into effect in 90 calendar days.
"We will continue to work with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, and road industry experts to ensure that this law is put into practice, and we congratulate Mexico's road ecology community for their achievements across the country in the areas of legislation, regulation and, of course, for their work "at the pavement level." – Gina Chacón, Wildlands Network's Mexico Public Policy Director.
Contact:
Mirna Manteca
Northwest Mexico Program Co-Director
mirna@wildlandsnetwork.org
