Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources

What Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources does

The Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) is the federal ministry of Mexico responsible for environmental policy and natural resource management, established in 1994 when environmental functions were separated from the former SEDUE ministry. It holds exclusive federal authority over environmental impact assessments (PEIA), natural protected areas, forestry regulation, water resources, climate change policy, and ecological ordering of national territory under the Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente (LGEEPA). The ministry operates from central offices in Mexico City (Ejército Nacional 223, Col. Anáhuac) and representation offices in all 32 Mexican states, serving a diversified constituency that includes private-sector permit applicants, Mexican citizens, civil society organizations, and academic institutions.

SEMARNAT's technology stack consists of multiple public-facing information systems rather than proprietary platforms: SINAT and SINATEC for national and electronic environmental permit processing; SIORE, a geographic information subsystem for ecological land-use planning; the Gaceta Ecológica, a weekly bulletin of Environmental Impact Assessment projects with archives dating to 2003; the Sistema de Monitoreo de Sargazo Recolectado for sargassum collection tracking; the Consulta de Trámites online permit-status portal; and the Biblioteca Digital document repository. The ministry also runs priority environmental programs including the Programa Rescate del Lago de Texcoco covering 12,300 hectares of ecological restoration in the Valley of Mexico. These systems collectively support environmental permitting, territorial planning, transparency reporting, and ecological conservation, but the input data contains no evidence of AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or differentiated technical IP beyond standard government information systems.

SEMARNAT does not operate under a commercial revenue model. It is funded through the Mexican federal budget (Ramo 16) and provides regulatory and administrative services free of charge to citizens and businesses. The ministry coordinates five environmental funds — FIDEMEG, FMCN, FONBIO, MARA, and the now-extinct FONCC (extinction initiated May 17, 2021) — which operate as adjacent subsidiaries under SEMARNAT coordination. Distribution occurs through the centralized gob.mx portal, state-level representation offices, and electronic procedure systems, with transparency obligations enforced externally by INAI, whose multiple 2022–2024 resolutions (DIT-0653/2022, DIT-0654/2022, DIT-0655/2022, DIT-0656/2022, DIT-0657/2022, DIT-0708/2023, DIT-0738/2023, DIT-0050-2024, DIT-0253-2024, DIT-0141/2023, DIT-0150/2023, DIT-0160/2023) document recurring publication and data-quality compliance failures.

Name

Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources

Legal name

Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales

Website

https://semarnat.gob.mx

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

SEMARNAT is Mexico's federal environmental ministry, established in 1994, responsible for environmental impact assessments, natural resource regulation, and climate change policy, serving private businesses, citizens, and civil society across all 32 Mexican states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Timberland Compliance, Permitting & Regulatory Management (AFAMAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Operations Planning & Compliance (Permitting, HCV/HCS, ESG) (IMAMAJAI), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Environmental policy regulation
• Natural resource management
• Environmental impact assessment
• Protected natural areas
• Ecological land planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Mexico

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SEMARNAT is the Mexican federal ministry responsible for environmental policy, natural resource management, and ecological regulation. It processes environmental permits and authorizations, conducts environmental impact assessments for development projects, manages protected natural areas, regulates natural resource extraction, oversees waste management, monitors air quality, and coordinates ecological ordering of national territory through multiple digital platforms and field offices across Mexico.

Product overview

SEMARNAT operates a portfolio of digital platforms and government services for environmental management in Mexico. The core offerings include the Gaceta Ecológica (environmental impact bulletin), SIORE (ecological planning GIS system), Consulta de Trámites (permit status tracking), Sistema de Monitoreo de Sargazo (sargassum monitoring), Biblioteca Digital (document repository), SINAT/SINATEC (national permit processing systems), and priority environmental programs such as the Lake Texcoco Rescue. These systems collectively support environmental impact assessment, territorial planning, public transparency, and ecological conservation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gaceta Ecológica

Quantifiable outcome

• Lake Texcoco Rescue Project covers 12,300 hectares for ecological restoration in the Valley of Mexico

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (FMCN)minorOthersEnvironmental fund under SEMARNAT coordination. The FMCN is included among the subjects for which SEMARNAT publishes transparency obligations in the SIPOT system. No specific partnership details provided.
• Fideicomiso para apoyar los programas, proyectos y acciones ambientales de la megalópolis (FIDEMEG)minorOthersTrust fund supporting environmental programs, projects, and actions in the megalopolis region. SEMARNAT coordinates this fund and publishes its transparency obligations. FIDEMEG has state representation offices that publish privacy notices for public consultation projects.
• Fondo para la Biodiversidad (FONBIO)minorOthersFund for biodiversity under SEMARNAT coordination. The fund publishes privacy notices through SEMARNAT's transparency portal. Citizens are directed to consult FONBIO's own website for privacy notices.
• Fondo para el Cambio Climático (FONCC)minorOthersClimate change fund under SEMARNAT coordination. The FONCC has been in extinction process with SHCP since May 17, 2021, and no longer actively publishes transparency information through SEMARNAT.
• Mandato para Remediación Ambiental (MARA)minorOthersEnvironmental remediation mandate included among SEMARNAT's coordinated subjects for transparency obligations publication. No specific partnership details provided.
• Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCONAFOR is a key partner in the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal, collaborating with SEMARNAT on monitoring and proposing recommendations to strengthen public access to information, proactive transparency policies, and accountability in the forestry sector.
• Procuraduría Federal de Protección al Ambiente (PROFEPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPROFEPA participates in the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal alongside SEMARNAT, contributing to transparency and accountability efforts in environmental enforcement.
• Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCONANP is part of the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal working with SEMARNAT on monitoring and recommendations for transparency in protected natural areas.
• Agencia de Seguridad, Energía y Ambiente (ASEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASEA participates in the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal with SEMARNAT, contributing expertise in energy and environmental safety regulation.
• Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINAI participates in the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal as part of the Open Government Partnership, providing oversight of transparency obligations compliance by SEMARNAT.
• Secretaría de la Función Pública (SFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFP participates in the Grupo de Monitoreo del sector forestal, contributing to public administration oversight and capacity building in transparency matters.
• Open Government Partnership (OGP) / Alianza para el Gobierno AbiertocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexico joined OGP on September 20, 2011, implementing an open governance model based on four principles: Innovation, Citizen Participation, Accountability, and Transparency. SEMARNAT participates in OGP action plans, implementing open government commitments.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW): Australian federal department combining climate, environment, and water portfolios — comparable in scope and federal structure to SEMARNAT's combined environmental mandate.
• European Environment Agency (EEA): EU-wide agency providing environmental data, indicators, and assessments across member states — comparable to SEMARNAT's role aggregating national environmental data, ecological ordering, and producing public information systems.
• UK Environment Agency: UK regulator overseeing environmental permitting, waste, water, and conservation — a direct peer in environmental regulation and compliance enforcement.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC): Canadian federal ministry combining environment and climate change portfolios with impact assessment, protected areas, and regulatory functions — closely mirrors SEMARNAT's combined scope.
• French Ministry of Ecological Transition (MTES): French ministry responsible for ecological transition, energy, and biodiversity — comparable scope in environmental policy coordination and regulatory oversight at national level.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The U.S. federal environmental regulator with a comparable mandate covering environmental impact assessment, air/water quality, waste management, and natural resource protection — the closest functional analog to SEMARNAT.
• German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV): German federal environmental ministry with comparable scope across nature conservation, climate, water, and waste policy — a developed-market peer in environmental governance.

Regional players

• Colombia Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development: Colombia's environmental ministry with comparable functions in environmental licensing, biodiversity, and natural resource management across a Latin American federal system.
• Chile Ministry of the Environment (MMA): Chile's environmental ministry handling impact assessment, protected areas, and climate — a regional peer with similar Latin American institutional context.
• Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA): Brazil's federal environmental ministry operating in Latin America with overlapping mandates in environmental licensing, protected areas, forestry, and climate — the most direct regional peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEMARNAT_mx
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gobiernodemexico
• Facebookfacebook.com/gobmexico
• Instagraminstagram.com/gobmexico
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/semarnat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources