Citizens Protest Transplant of 30 Trees

Dozens of environmentalists have been guarding 30 trees for more than 36 hours, which the local government intends to remove and plant elsewhere. The local government intends to relocate the trees on Calzada de Guadalupe to do construction work; the environmentalists are calling on citizens to help take turns guarding the trees. They have been protecting the trees on Guadalupe Avenue since Saturday.

For weeks, activists have been speaking out, pleading for the 20-year-old trees to be protected. Ecology Director Francisco Peyret said the trees need to be transplanted but it has not been announced where they would be transplanted to.  On Saturday morning, Mayor Villarreal called them ridiculous, asserting that “the disagreement of a few is not comparable to the benefit for ‘hundreds of thousands’.” The activists launched a change.org petition, calling on citizens to help keep watch and care for the trees. It can be seen here.
The government plans to repave Avenida Guadalupe, construct arches for Mercado Guadalupe and then introduce new native trees. Information from. The government also said that the works include the construction of arches for the Mercado Guadalupe.