Programs

Eco-regional Planning for Tropical and Temperate Forests Project

Biol. Jorge Iván Uribe Juárez
Program Coordinator
juribe@tnc.org

Description

Eco-regional Planning for Tropical and Temperate Forests at the Neotropical limit of the Gulf of Mexico (PEBOSS) represents a multi-institutional effort which seeks to identify priority geographical areas and strategies to permit the conservation of biodiversity in the area which comprises the middle and northern zones of the Gulf of Mexico. With the support of a robust Geographic Information System (GIS), we are working to define a basic cluster of priority areas for conservation. We hope that if these areas are managed in a manner compatible with the biological systems and the species they contain, we can secure the long term future of ecosystem biodiversity within the Unit of Ecorregional Planning which they comprise. To this end, Pronatura Veracruz, coordinating with Pronatura Noreste and partnering with other institutions such as The University of Veracruz, The Center for Tropical Investigations (CITRO), the Institute of Ecology, AC., and the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, is organizing working meetings with experts from different regions, fields of expertise and areas of investigation in order to validate the generated information so it can be used to direct the efforts for conservation of different actors as efficiently as possible.

The geographic framework for this Ecorregional Plan includes four eco-regions: 1) Sierra Madre Oriental Pine-Oak Forest, (2) Veracruz Moist Forest, (3) Veracruz Montane Forest, (4) Alvarado Mangroves, altogether an area totaling 106,217 square kilometers (Fig. 1). For our purposes, an eco-region is defined as a relatively large land or water area which contains groups of natural communities which are geographically distinct. These communities share a great majority of their species, dynamics, and environmental conditions and function as a unit of conservation on a continental and global scale.

Objectives

Historically, and as has been the case with many other geographic areas of Mexico, this Unit of Eco-Regional Planning has been subject to intense anthropocentric pressure. In some cases, the resulting transformation has been alarming, such as in the state of Veracruz where it is estimated that more than 85% of the land has suffered the loss of its forests (Challenger/com.pers). The tropical forests have suffered the greatest loss of cover. This fact obliges not just decision makers but society in general to implement effective, efficient conservation efforts as expediently as is possible.

Advances

Through the participation of experts in meetings and workshops, fine-filtered (species of flora and fauna) and coarse-filtered (ecological systems) conservation targets have been chosen. These targets were selected because they require immediate conservation efforts owing to their intrinsic characteristics (e.g,. endemisms,; their state of conservation and location within their distribution ranges).

In the same vein, the Goals of Conservation for every one of the targets have been defined: Specifically, the level of effort necessary to sustain a conservation target (generally expressed as a percentage of its historic distribution) in viable numbers for a specific period of planning has been estimated. To do this, it was necessary to take into consideration the target’s spatial distribution throughout the eco-region as well as the number of populations (if this information could be relied on) and its specific locations.

Among the major threats to eco-regions those which have already been identified as critical are: 1) changes in land use and the consequent loss of habitat owing to activities associated with extensive ranching, agriculture and unplanned urban development; 2) contamination and overexploitation of bodies of water and 3) operation and construction of dams; and 4) removal of species through activities related to hunting and trafficking in species.