Present forest management structures and policies in temperate forests of Mexico: Challenges and prospects for unique tree species assemblages

Abstract

The temperate forests of Mexico are important economically for many small communities as they provide numerous essential ecosystem services. They also contain the highest biodiversity of oak and pine species in the world. Yet they have not been discussed and investigated as much as other temperate forests. This paper presents these unique temperate forests, the particularities of Mexico's forest management and forestry policies, and some of the main challenges and opportunities forest management poses to Mexican society today. Approximately 80% of the forests are under some form of collective property called comunidades or ejidos, which means that most forest management is based on small community enterprises and small-scale management. However, all forest management activities are regulated by the federal government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT). Although the management of these forests shares many of the current challenges affecting all temperate forests, we discuss three challenges that appear to be unique to Mexico: (1) the difficulties in managing such a high number of pine and oak species; (2) the lack of a well-organized and integrated forest industry sector; and, (3) the high level of illegal logging thought to be responsible for almost 50% of the total harvest.