Mexico City, Mexico — A real estate company in Mexico City has been fined more than 40 million peso for cutting down trees to build a luxury apartment complex.
La Secretaría del Medio Ambiente (Sedema) announced the fine of 40.8 million peso to the developers of the Mítikah Tower, Fibra Uno, for cutting down 80 trees without permission. The luxury apartments are being constructed in the town of Xoco in Benito Juárez.
Inspectors visited the site to ensure permits, however, when they arrived, Sedema officials reported the company failed to prove that “they had the documents that authorized the felling of the trees” despite the fact they argued they had a temporary environmental impact permit issued by the Sedema in November 2018.
The mayor of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum, dismissed their claims that they had received a temporary environmental impact permit from the previous government, adding that the permit also required authorization of the Secretariat of Mobility and the Secretariat of Public Safety, a fact that was ignored by Fibra Uno before proceeding to cut the trees.
Before the removal of the trees, the boulevard was known as one of the most picturesque in Mexico City’s Xoco residential neighborhood. The trees were more than 80 years old.
