Deforestation and Land Use Change in Mexico

Torres-Rojo, Juan Manuel; Flores-Xolocotzi, Ramiro

doi:10.1300/j091v12n01_09

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Physical factors such as altitude and distance from roads have clear and statistically significant predictive capability (Vance & Geohegan, 2002; Roy Chowdhury, 2006), although slope gradient was found not to be a good indicator of potential deforestation (Roy Chowdhury, 2006; Castillo‐Santiago et al ., 2007). However, when the behavioural characteristics of the local populations as influenced by their socioeconomic contexts are superimposed on such physical factors, forest clearance in Mexico is primarily associated with conversion to commercial arable or livestock farming (Cairns et al ., 2000; Torres‐Rojo & Flores‐Xolocotzi, 2001) and, in the case of Chiapas, with subsistence agriculture (Castillo‐Santiago et al ., 2007).…”

Section: The Changing Environment In Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction - Land use change in the tropics: Causes, consequences and monitoring in Mexico

Alcántara-Ayala

Dykes

2010

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography

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Section: The Changing Environment In Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction - Land use change in the tropics: Causes, consequences and monitoring in Mexico

Alcántara-Ayala

Dykes

2010

Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography

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“…More recently, some environmental defenders have been imprisoned or killed for organizing against powerful logging barons and drug lords (Smith, 2000). 8 Also, with the massive restructuring of the Mexican economy since the late 1980s that has favored commercial agriculture and urbanto-rural colonization, many peasants have been left with little choice but to cut down forests and convert "marginal" land for agricultural purposes (Manuel Torres-Rojo and Flores-Xolocotzi, 2001).…”

Section: Democracy and Environmental Justice In Mexicomentioning

confidence: 99%

Green politics or environmental blues? Analyzing ecological democracy

Mitchell¹

2006

Public Underst Sci

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Unlike several previous efforts that have discussed ecological forms of democracy in vague or esoteric terms, this article elucidates key factors that may affect the realization of ecological democracy. In the first section, ecological democracy is defined as an alternative democratic model that 1) strives to incorporate interested citizens into environmental decision-making, and 2) lacks structural features that systematically concentrate environmental amenities into the hands of particular social groups, while imposing environmental and ecological degradation on others. This leads to a discussion of several hindering and facilitating factors that either thwart or encourage ecological democracy. Two examples in support of this discussion on ecological democracy are provided: border contamination due to heavy industrial use along the US-Mexican border, and community forestry in the southeastern state of Oaxaca. By analyzing relevant factors that either have prevented or encouraged democratic environmental decision-making, this research will serve to improve environmental policy formulation and governance

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“…Though there has been much debate regarding approximations of Mexico's deforestation rate, there is no doubt that, conservatively estimated at 1.3%, it is among the highest in the world (Torres-Rojo and Flores-Xolocotzi, 2001). The estimated rate in the sample is 1.2% per year.…”

Section: The Mexican Forestry Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Tale of Two Communities: Explaining Deforestation in Mexico

2005

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Summary:Explaining land use change in Mexico requires understanding the behavior of the local institutions involved. We develop two theories to explain deforestation in communities with and without forestry projects, where the former involves a process of side payments to non-members of the community and the latter of partial cooperation among community members. Data collected in 2002 combined with satellite imagery are used to test these theories. For the forestry villages, we establish a positive relationship between the distribution of profits as dividends instead of public goods and forest loss. For communities not engaged in forestry projects, deforestation is largely related to the ability of the community to induce the formation of a coalition of members that cooperates in not encroaching. This happens more easily in smaller communities with experienced leaders. A disturbing result of the analysis is that deforestation is higher when a community engages in forestry projects, even after properly accounting for self-selection into this activity. This suggests that forestry projects as they now exist in Mexico are not sustainable and contribute to the deforestation problem.

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Deforestation and Land Use Change in Mexico

Cited by 11 publications

References 4 publications

Introduction - Land use change in the tropics: Causes, consequences and monitoring in Mexico

Introduction - Land use change in the tropics: Causes, consequences and monitoring in Mexico

Green politics or environmental blues? Analyzing ecological democracy

A Tale of Two Communities: Explaining Deforestation in Mexico

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