Members of an organization dedicated to protecting the Primavera Forest recently led me up a long staircase toward the top of a high hill at the northern edge of the beautiful community of Santa Anita, five miles to the southwest of Guadalajara.
At 1,750 meters we came to a lookout point with an incredible view of the Tlajomulco area framed by shadowy mountain ranges in the distance. From here we hiked into a section of the forest I had never known existed: rolling hills filled with oaks, pines and glorious grassy meadows. This little piece of paradise looked pristine at first glance, but curiously almost every tree I could see was marked by a small round splotch of gray paint.
“The mark of death,” my companions informed me.
These spots, I was told, indicated trees to be cut down –5,000 of them, to be exact.
I was amazed and shocked to learn that this healthy 62-hectare woodlands – separated from the main body of the Primavera Forest by just 2.4 kilometers – will soon disappear, to be paved over with concrete and asphalt in a residential development known as Bosque Alto.
“The developers want to fill most of the land with multi-story apartment buildings,” said Rafael Rodriguez of Salvemos Unidos el Bosque la Primavera. “And wherever tall buildings are not possible, they will put small lots, measuring 8 by 28 meters, barely enough room for a house and a parking space.”
This beautiful area falls within the transition zone around the protected Primavera Forest, which UNESCO declared a Man and Biosphere Reserve (MAB) in 2006, Rodriguez pointed out.
“According to UNESCO, only low-impact, low density, ecologically sound development should be permitted in this transition zone, but somehow the developers have obtained
permission for this disastrous program which, ironically, they call ‘eco-living.’ There is a strong suspicion that there are serious irregularities in their permits.”
In a chat under a canopy of tall oak trees, I learned that Rodriguez grew up in Santa Anita, a suburban community that many expats may only know for its prestigious golf club.
“As a kid, I explored these hills and I’ve always felt it was a real privilege to have a forest in my back yard. I’ve seen deer in these trees right around us, and lynxes and foxes and skunks and raccoons. I would spend hours here just watching a spider, looking at its minute details. To see all of this disappear would be a real shame.”
Rodriguez quoted sources that indicate 35 percent of greater Guadalajara’s well water comes from rain falling on wooded areas such as this one. “But thanks to this housing project, instead of adding fresh water to the aquifer, this hilltop will soon be contributing pollutants to it,” he said. “And close to 1,000 families living here will add at least 2,000 new cars to the hordes of vehicles trying to enter Avenida Lopez Mateos every morning.”
Salvemos Unidos el Bosque la Primavera is an organization of people from around 85 neighborhoods who describe themselves as “tired of waiting for something to happen.” More details on the group can be obtained at their website, salvemoslaprimavera.wordpress.com.
A simple way to show support for those trying to save these woods is to go online to salvemoselbosque.mx and be redirected to a special page on Change.org where you can add your name to more than 10,000 others in favor of halting the Bosque Alto housing development. If you don’t speak Spanish, just go down to the bottom of the page and click on English, which will make it easy for you to understand a couple of boxes you must fill in.
I urge you to spend a minute signing this online petition.