The Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force (GCFTF) Mexico, through our implementing partner Pronatura Sur, released a new national agenda to curb deforestation. This report, “Deforestation in Mexico. Proposals for a National Agenda,” explains that deforestation in Mexico has become a crucial challenge for both environmental conservation and sustainable development in the country. With millions of hectares of forests and jungles lost in recent decades, this problem directly affects biodiversity, aggravates the vulnerability of communities to climate change, and compromises the livelihoods of those who depend on natural resources. This analysis is shard as part of GCFTF Mexico’s October newsletter.
In it, the urgent need to implement measures to curb this devastating phenomenon is raised, with the purpose of opening a dialogue with the teams of the new federal and state government administrations as well as the key actors of the environmental sector, in order to define strategies to be developed during the next six years and beyond. This agenda illustrates part of the efforts of the GCFTF to halt the loss of forests, mitigate the effects of climate change and improve the quality of life of indigenous peoples, rural and local communities that depend on these ecosystems.
The below description comes directly from the October newsletter.
A national agenda to curb deforestation: Urgent actions for GCFTF Mexico states.
Deforestation in Mexico is a serious problem that directly affects biodiversity and aggravates the vulnerability of communities to climate change. This phenomenon has caused the loss of millions of hectares of forests and jungles in the last two decades, and its consequences are devastating for the country’s ecosystems, with dry forests, medium and high evergreen forests, and deciduous oak forests being the most affected ecosystems. Although the causes of deforestation vary by region, three main factors drive it: cash crops, urban and tourist expansion, and extensive cattle ranching.
The above statements are just some of the arguments that shape the analysis of the socio-territorial conditions and productive dynamics considered as the direct and indirect causes of deforestation in Mexico, which can be found in the document “Deforestation in Mexico. Proposals for a National Agenda”, prepared with the support of the Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) and the support of GCFTF Mexico and the University of Guadalajara. According to this analysis, between 2001 and 2021, Mexico will lose more than 4 million hectares of forest, equivalent to 6.3% of the country’s forested area. Nine states account for 68.3% of this loss, with Campeche leading the way with more than 520,000 hectares deforested, followed by Chiapas, Jalisco and Oaxaca.
The document is complemented by a series of seven infographics, one for each Mexican state that is part of the GCFTF Mexico network: Jalisco, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan, which detail with scientific data the reality of deforestation in these jurisdictions. Together, the national agenda proposal and the infographics identify three major drivers or direct causes that contribute significantly to deforestation:
The growth of cash crops or also known as commodities, such as oil palm, soy, citrus, avocado or agave, to mention a few, have displaced forested areas, especially in the southeast of the country. In states such as Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, there has been an increase in deforestation due to the demand for products such as tequila and mezcal. This type of agricultural activity seriously affects forest ecosystems.
Urban and tourism expansion, although considered a less significant factor compared to cash crops and cattle ranching, also contributes to deforestation; this driver of deforestation has significantly affected the states of Quintana Roo and Yucatan. Urbanization is often preceded by the use of land for agriculture, which subsequently facilitates the development of tourism infrastructure.
Extensive cattle ranching, the third of the drivers analyzed by this proposal, is a productive activity that has been the major driver of deforestation since the 1980s, particularly in dry and sub-deciduous forests, where the intensive use of fire to regenerate pastures has degraded soils and ecosystems. In addition, the document states that although livestock farming continues to be essential for food security and the livelihoods of thousands of people, it is necessary to halt the extensive mode in which it has been carried out and move towards more sustainable practices.
In this sense, one of the key approaches proposed in the agenda to mitigate deforestation caused by extensive cattle ranching is the implementation of silvopastoral systems. It should be noted that this particular proposal is supported by the results of a previous study entitled Potential Areas for Silvopastoral Systems and their Loss Dynamics, also supported and accompanied by CLUA and GCF Mexico, respectively. This study was carried out with the objective of generating and analyzing data to identify suitable sites for silvopastoral systems and also to be perceived as a tool for the design, implementation, evaluation and decision making in the public policy of the rural sector or areas of the State Government involved.
This analysis highlights the benefits of implementing silvopastoral systems including carbon sequestration, which contributes to mitigating climate change thanks to the reduction of CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere, one of the main greenhouse gases, the promotion of biodiversity by providing habitat for various species of flora and fauna, and the improvement of soil quality, as they combine livestock production with the conservation of trees and shrubs in the same space. In addition, these systems can generate additional income for rural communities through the production of timber, fruits and other forest products, which improves the economic sustainability of rural communities.
To address the information gaps at the territorial level on the management and design of practices in silvopastoral systems, this study focused its efforts on the modeling and selection of territorial units as priority areas for the establishment of such systems in nine Mexican states: Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo.
The results include a series of maps whose construction involved the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to identify areas with “Very High” and “High” deforestation risk or with relevant change dynamics. This in turn allows the identification of deforestation or degradation hotspots, excluding those areas of grasslands bordering croplands, i.e. rainfed agriculture, irrigated agriculture and wetland agriculture. A mosaic of satellite images covering the total area of the nine states, approximately 58 million hectares, was also used.
In addition to silvopastoral systems, the national agenda proposes other measures to combat both the direct and indirect causes of deforestation. These include environmental and social risk assessments to ensure that rural financing programs do not promote unsustainable agricultural activities that affect ecosystems. Certification of deforestation-free agricultural products is proposed as a key measure to promote more sustainable practices. This is particularly relevant for crops such as avocado and agave, which, according to the document, have been associated with the dynamics of deforestation in the state of Jalisco.
The monitoring and control of deforestation through the implementation of early warning systems, supported by satellite technology, is another proposed measure that would make it possible to identify and sanction illegal changes in land use, thus improving control over the activities that contribute to this problem. Similarly, institutional strengthening is included as a fundamental task to combat deforestation. This point is of particular interest to GCF TF, as this working group seeks to strengthen subnational leadership to improve state capacities and coordinate actions to conserve standing forests, promoting inclusive, equitable and low-emission development.
The multi-sectoral approach proposed in the document is essential to address these challenges. Cooperation between governments, the private sector, rural communities and civil society is crucial to reduce forest loss and more effectively address the effects of climate change and social inequality in Mexico, as deforestation not only affects ecosystems and biodiversity, but also has serious social consequences.
Thus, combating deforestation in Mexico requires a coordinated and sustained effort that considers both the direct and indirect causes of the problem. By adopting a comprehensive approach that combines ecosystem conservation with sustainable rural development, Mexico has the opportunity to protect its natural resources, mitigate climate change and improve the quality of life of rural and local communities.
For more information, you can consult the national agenda document and state infographics on the Pronatura Sur website in the GCFTF Mexico Coordination section.