Socioeconomic context of land use and land cover change in Mexican biosphere reserves

Abstract

Land use/land cover change (LULC) is a major threat to natural protected areas worldwide. This paper explores the relationships between four estimated LULC parameters for 17 Mexican biosphere reserves (BRs) for 1993-2002 on a GIS platform, and ten socioeconomic factors obtained from census data. These relationships were tested through linear correlations and multivariate analysis. BRs showed lower human demographic pressure, but higher population dispersion, social marginality, percentage of rain-fed agriculture area, and dependence upon agriculture and cattle compared to nationwide values. BRs also varied in their indigenous population, and showed cattle overpopulation, and low immigration and road density. Socioeconomic factors explained 87% of LULC variation. High population and road density, cattle overpopulation and low percentage indigenous population were related to percentage of transformed area (2002). Conversely, small population and road density, large proportion of indigenous population and high dependency on agriculture and cattle, were related to the rate of change in transformed area (1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002). High human population growth and urban concentration occurred when BRs suffered higher LULC than their corresponding ecoregions. Including socioeconomic conditions prevailing in BRs and their influence on LULC in reserve management and rural development planning will improve strategies for the confluence of conservation and development goals.

Insect Herbivory and Leaf Disease in Natural and Human Disturbed Habitats: Lessons from Early‐SuccessionalHeliconiaHerbs

“…The REBIMA, created in 1978, is 330,000-ha in area and constitutes the main remnant of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al 2000, Figueroa et al 2009). The primary vegetation type is lowland tropical rain forest, attaining 40 m in canopy height in alluvial terraces along main rivers (Siebe et al 1995).…”

“…STUDY AREA.-We conducted this study in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (REBIMA in Spanish), state of Chiapas, southern Mexico, and the adjacent communal lands of the Ejido Chajul (16°08 0 N, 90°55 0 W). The REBIMA, created in 1978, is 330,000-ha in area and constitutes the main remnant of the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al 2000, Figueroa et al 2009). The primary vegetation type is lowland tropical rain forest, attaining 40 m in canopy height in alluvial terraces along main rivers (Siebe et al 1995).…”

Management Effectiveness and Land Cover Change in Dynamic Cultural Landscapes—Assessing a Central European Biosphere Reserve

“…Some comparative assessments of land cover change patterns in and around protected areas have been performed in tropical and subtropical regions, where the transformation of pristine landscapes, mainly through deforestation, is a primary process of change (Vasconcelos et al 2002, Mas 2005, Figueroa and Sánchez-Cordero 2008, Figueroa et al 2009). Most of these studies have focused on the capacity of protected areas to preserve ecosystems in their "natural" state by halting land cover change.…”

Terrestrial vertebrates as surrogates for selecting conservation areas in a biodiversity hotspot in Mexico

“…As a consequence, 580 terrestrial vertebrates species in Oaxaca are listed within a risk category in the Mexican Red List (NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010), the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and in the appendixes of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Lavariega, Martín-Regalado, Monroy-Gamboa, & Briones-Salas, 2017). Thus, it is relevant to determine the performance of the use of surrogates for biodiversity representation not only in protected areas but also when areas are prioritized for conservation using these other strategies (Figueroa, Sánchez-Cordero, Meave, & Trejo, 2009;García-Mendoza et al, 2004;Illoldi-Rangel et al, 2008). Oaxaca also includes several conservation initiatives and instruments proposed by nongovernmental organizations, local communities committed to establishing protected areas while developing sustainable forestry programs, and international efforts to conserve specific areas with biodiversity value.…”