Conservation priorities for tropical forests in Mexico: Reflections about their conservation status and management

Abstract

Koleff,  P.,  Urquiza-Haas,  T.,  Contreras,  B.  (2012).  Conservation  priorities  for  tropical  forests  in  Mexico:  Reflections  about their conservation status and management. Ecosistemas 21(1-2):6-20

Tropical forests in Mexico comprise several plant communities distributed along humid and dry environments. Humid forests are exuberant and highly diverse, whereas dry forests have remarkable levels of endemism. At the beginning of the last century they used to cover 26% of the Mexican territory (~51.33 million hectares); but rural development policies and other factors caused forest losses and degradation up to 82% of the original cover and currently most of the remaining forest is fragmented and degraded. In the 1990’s the government started building up a protected areas strategy and also implemented other environmental programs. Recently, priority sites for conservation were identified under a shared vision at national level; this was based on uniqueness, diversity  and the degree of threat, allowing the establishment of a reference framework for decision making, which ultimately aims to strengthen conservation actions. In Mexico, there are also several cultures and community organizations that had been able to preserve their forests. This paper briefly reviews the conservation status of tropical forests and the processes that have contributed to their current condition. There is a need to build-up synergies and strengthen governmental policies and community strategies that have had positive outcomes for conservation