As a measure to save water in Sonora, prioritize human consumption, and strengthen environmental sustainability, a ruling was passed in Sonora requiring municipal governments by law to plant and preserve native flora in parks, gardens, roundabouts, median strips, and other green areas.
This new provision establishes that non-native flora must be replaced gradually, respecting the life cycle of existing trees, in order to ensure an orderly and nature-friendly transition. It also prioritizes each municipality promoting species native to its ecoregion, strengthening the local environmental identity.
The initiative was proposed more than a year ago in the Sonora Congress, whose opinion was presented by Representative Omar del Valle Colosio as a draft decree reforming the Sonora State Water Law and approved on September 17, 2025.
In this regard, Sergio Müller, project director of the environmental group Caminantes del Desierto, explained that this initiative is related to another initiative that has not yet been published, which indicates changes in green infrastructure, where cities, in addition to promoting the planting of native trees, also compile a state plant catalog.
The activist also told El Sol de Hermosillo that initiatives like these provide guidelines for municipalities to understand which plants are appropriate for their region.
Furthermore, Müller emphasized that many of the non-native or non-endemic plants found today consume a lot of water and are normalized, believing them to be native to the region.
He noted that carrying out these actions has several benefits, such as reducing water consumption, since native plants only require what is available in their region.
Müller added that planting native trees benefits the region’s ecosystem. “It’s an initiative that goes in the right direction; it just needs to be complemented with the other initiative, which has not yet been published.”
Finally, he noted that, according to the latest count, there are around 50,000 trees in public spaces. However, he explained that 22 trees produce the oxygen a person breathes, and in that sense, more specimens are needed.
Source: oem
