Lima park renovation kills 63 trees, leaves dozens at risk

Lima's historic Campo de Marte park, a protected green space since 1968, is facing severe environmental damage due to a controversial remodeling project. The municipal initiative has led to the death of 63 trees and left 163 others in critical condition, raising alarms among residents and environmentalists.

The project, initiated by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (MML) through Invermet in October 2025, was halted for months amid accusations of poor maintenance, including a lack of irrigation and damage to tree roots. A subsequent forest inventory revealed the extent of the devastation: out of 2,036 identified trees, 163 were affected, with 63 confirmed dead as a direct result of the construction work.

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They cut their roots and, on top of that, subjected them to a prolonged period of water stress.

Forest engineer Claudia Gutiérrez, part of a monitoring collective, explained that the affected trees are suffering from severe water stress, while 80 others show no apparent physiological activity. "They cut their roots and, on top of that, subjected them to a prolonged period of water stress," Gutiérrez stated. The loss includes some of the park's largest and most significant trees, which played a crucial role in the urban ecosystem.

These mature trees provided essential environmental services, including substantial carbon capture and vital shade, which are critical in a city like Lima that grapples with persistent air pollution. Gutiérrez emphasized that the loss of these large, mature trees, which took decades to grow, represents a significant setback. "This will take decades to recover. What happened is serious," she warned. Invermet has proposed planting 2,400 new trees as compensation, a number exceeding the total affected trees, but the ecological services lost cannot be replaced in the short term.

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This will take decades to recover. What happened is serious.