Processes of change in forest cover of the Yucatan Peninsula

Abstract

Ellis, E.A., Hernández-Gómez, I.U., Romero-Montero, J.A. 2017. Processes and causes of forest cover change in the Yucatan Peninsula. Ecosistemas 26(1): 101-111. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.2017.26-1.16

Deforestation in Mexico has persisted in the last decades, particularly in the Yucatán Peninsula (YP) in the southeastern region. The YP region is of great importance at national and international levels since it contains de Selva Maya, the second largest contiguous mass of forest in the Americas. Currently, the REDD+ initiative in collaboration with the Mexican government is developing strategies to combat deforestation, evaluating and monitoring these processes in the territory. Based on a search, revision and analysis of information and data reported in the available literature, this work evaluates the processes of land use/land cover change in the three states of YP (Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatan) in the last 50 years and identifies de direct causes and underlying factors related with forest cover change. The publications evaluated reveal regional differences in forest cover and land use change within the three states, indicating regions where deforestation processes have occurred as well as where the conservation or recuperation of forest cover is occurring. The immediate causes of deforestation are associated mainly with the expansion of cattle ranching, followed by agriculture and mostly within the states of Campeche and Yucatán. The Underlying factors of deforestation in the YP are mostly associated with government colonization and agricultural development programs, population growth and markets. Moreover, in Quintana Roo, the tourism development and fires were associated with changes in forest cover, while slash and burn shifting agriculture and forest management were not associated with deforestation processes.