The General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (also known by its abbreviation as LGEEPA) is the highest law of environmental law in Mexico that regulates matters relating to the fifth place of the fourth article of the Political Constitution "Political Constitution of the United Mexican States (1917)") and article 25. It was promulgated on January 28, 1988.

Ecological Planning is legally defined as "The instrument of environmental policy whose purpose is to regulate or induce the use of land and productive activities, in order to achieve the protection of the environment and the preservation and sustainable use of natural resources, based on the analysis of deterioration trends and the potential for their use" (General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, First Title, Art.3 section XXIV). This establishes a basic framework for comprehensive management of the territory and its resources, also being a strategic tool for the convergence between State and Society.

The General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA) establishes that ecological planning is an instrument that must be incorporated into national development planning (Article 17). It also indicates which are the criteria that must be considered for its formulation (Article 19), which are its modalities (Article 19 Bis), and describes which are the instances and levels of government to which the formulation of the different modalities of the Ecological Planning corresponds, as well as the scope of said programs.

In the LGEEPA Regulations, regarding ecological planning (Regulation), the powers of SEMARNAT are defined, as well as the participation of the agencies and entities of the Federal Public Administration in the formulation, issuance, execution, advice, evaluation, validation and monitoring of the ecological regulations of federal jurisdiction; participation in the formulation of regional ecological planning programs of interest to the Federation and participation in the preparation and, where appropriate, the approval of local ecological planning programs. Finally, each Federal Entity has particular powers regarding ecological planning, established in its respective local legislation.[1]​.