Deforestation and forest degradation in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico, 2003–2009

Abstract

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The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (56,259 ha) is one of the most important and well known Natural Protected Areas in Mexico, but has had an alarming trend of loss and degradation of its forests, mainly in the core area where the monarch butterfly hibernates and reproduces. Payment to local inhabitants for environmental services (PES) is an attempt to counter this. The study shows the processes of degradation and deforestation in the reserve, their possible causes and their trends over time.

A comparative biennial analysis for 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, mainly using digital aerial photographs but with satellite images for 2007, revealed changes in each of the periods studied. The analysis detected changes in forest cover but not in land use: in the period 2003 to 2009, 2152 ha were altered by forest degradation or deforestation; of these, 165 ha suffered an alteration over several years. These changes have occurred in four well-defined areas, on properties that were not within the PES program or in zones of land conflicts, where felling was by organized gangs and has featured in formal reports. Degradation tends to have reduced wherever logging has declined; most of the properties are included in this program and permits for exploitation have expired. Between 2009 and 2011 the changes were mainly due to extraordinary hydrometeorological phenomena. Overall, there is a tendency for disturbances to decrease in the Reserve, due to the PES, promotion of productive activities and social work in this area.