The Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa) closed six orchards in a forested area of Jalisco for cutting down almost 9,500 trees and planting more than 32,000 avocado trees without authorization.
During the inspection of six farms that had more than 310 hectares, the Attorney General's Office detected the change of land use for the illegal establishment of avocado orchards on more than 145 hectares.
Therefore, it closed six plots where native forest vegetation was removed without authorization to establish the avocado orchards.
Profepa stated that it carried out a Forest Operation with the Gendarmerie-Environmental Mission in the municipalities of Gomez Farias, Mazamitla and Concepcion de Buenos Aires, to avoid illegal change of forest land use.
The authorities discovered the unauthorized removal of 9,463 trees from a pine and oak forest and found 32,668 avocado trees, out of a total of 42,000 trees that the culprits intended to plant.
The premises where the inspections were carried out were: Estancia Vieja (II-XII-29) and Estancia Vieja (II-XII-30); In the first one the change of land use was carried out in 4.8 hectares and authorities found avocado plantations; In the second one, there was a change in land use on 98 hectares.
In addition, in Loma de Guilotas, a municipality of Gómez Farías, 10.1 hectares were affected; in Rancho El Tule, municipality of Concepcion de Buenos Aires, six hectares; in Palos Verdes and Palo Hueco, municipality of conception of Buenos Aires, there were avocado plantations in 20 hectares, as well as in six hectares in Colomos and Lomas de la Carrera, in Mazamitla.
The people responsible for the properties didn't have the corresponding forestry referrals or records of arrivals of forest raw materials, in addition to lacking annual reports on the development and enforcement of authorized forest management programs.
Source: cronica.com.mx