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- Deforestation jungle in Yucatán, Mexico
Deforestation jungle in Yucatán, Mexico
Mexico
last update:
2 months agoProblems
Forest loss in the Yucatan, Mexico
Mexico destroys 300,000 hectares of forest every year. Mexico ranks first in the world in the rate of forest destruction. The main reasons are poaching and deforestation for more profitable land use. It is about the development of agriculture, tourism, mining, and urban expansion. Agricultural activities are the main cause of forest loss in the Yucatan, followed by illegal logging and forest fires. Not to mention the poorly planned urban development of Merida and other Yucatan cities over the past two decades. The construction of megaprojects and the reindustrialization of some regions across the peninsula have also contributed to this serious problem. In particular, 20,000 hectares of the jungle are lost each year in the Yucatan, and 30 to 40 percent of the state's original jungle has been deforested, especially in the city of Merida. If logging continues and the problem of deforestation is not solved, the jungle could disappear entirely. At this rate, the entire Yucatan Peninsula will be jungle-free in 100 years.
The main factors of deforestation
Factors contributing to forest loss in the Yucatan are: ● Unsustainable farming and agricultural practices are the main cause of the loss of forests in Yucatán. ● The expanding construction and real estate sector. Though the problem is present throughout the entire state, deforestation is most readily observed in Mérida’s periphery where large swaths of land are routinely cleared for development. Unlike jungles, threats to mangroves come chiefly from the construction of roads and other public works. These impact the flow of water and upset delicate mineral and acidity balances. Mangroves have also been impacted by real-estate developers, especially those in the business of tourism. Environmentalists point out that aside from their importance to Yucatán’s ecosystem, mangroves are important as they serve as a natural barrier against hurricanes and storms, as well as beach erosion. Illegal logging has become so widespread that Yucatán has lost between 60% and 70% of its biodiversity over the last century, according to a study by the environmental association Pronatura.
Mangrove areas at risk
According to the National Forest and Soil Inventory, Yucatan has nearly four million hectares, of which 3,200,000 are considered forested areas. And when it comes to mangroves, the destruction represents an irreparable loss in the ecological matter because it stunts the growth of many important species for humans. Illegal logging of mangroves continues in the Ria Lagartos Nature Reserve. Mangrove varieties are the ones that will take the longest to recover, and perhaps in some cases, given the growth of Tulare and grassland, the loss may be irreversible.
The destruction of biodiversity in the Yucatan
Every 10 square meters of the jungle in the Yucatan can still contain a diversity of up to 30 tree species, hundreds of insects, and a large variety of plants and flowers. However, the development of agriculture, roads, livestock, and the lack of environmental public policies have contributed to the destruction and distortion of many different species. Thus, not only deforestation caused the decline of the forest, but also activities parallel to agriculture, such as spraying, which helped to devastate local biodiversity. In particular, local beekeepers lost 600 apiaries with thousands of bees located in the Dzonot Carretero Community Nature Reserve in Tuzimin because of jungle spraying. Bee populations died after a local businessman ordered an aerial fumigation. Recall that bees are natural pollinators that ensure the survival of many species in tropical ecosystems.
Solutions
Forest restoration in Yucatán, Mexico
Author: The Yucatan Times
Recovery of forest vegetation and planting trees.
Gallery
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Timelines
2023
September
Mexico groups say Maya Train construction has caused significant deforestation. An analysis of satellite images by the NGO CartoCrítica shows that 10,831 hectares (26,764 acres) are currently being used for the Maya Train project, with 61% of the area deforested. The organization’s survey also reveals that in 87% of the deforested lands, clearing or logging was carried out without a change of land use approval, as required by environmental legislation. Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) has issued a statement saying the figures presented contain “inconsistencies.” However, the organizations that carried out the analysis point out that their deforestation data is supported by satellite evidence. As part of the investigation into how the Maya Train is affecting the Yucatán Peninsula’s forest cover, CartoCrítica compared satellite images from November 2018 with May and June 2023. As a benchmark, they also used data from the Mexican Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity on land cover that existed before the train works began.
March
The construction of a Tren Maya hotel in Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve took many residents by surprise when bulldozers started clearing the forest without permits in January. The hotel is part of the Tren Maya project, a controversial railway line that will move tourists and cargo throughout the Yucatán Peninsula and southern Mexico. Residents said they weren’t consulted and that the location of the project is dangerously close to Maya ruins and important sources of freshwater. The sudden, unexpected construction of a hotel in the middle of a protected reserve in southern Mexico has surprised residents and left many conservationists scrambling to figure out what’s going to happen to one of the largest contiguous rainforests in Mesoamerica. Carlos Mauricio Delgado Martínez, a member of the Ocelot Working Group, an NGO said he was carrying out fieldwork when he encountered construction workers clearing trees in the middle of the reserve, dangerously close to the Maya ruins of Calakmul and an important watering hole that sustains local wildlife. The hotel will reportedly sit on a 3-hectare (7.4-acre) plot and have around 150 rooms. While the building is technically within the reserve’s buffer zone, where some development is permitted, it also falls within the area that was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002. At every step of the way, construction has been plagued by dozens of injunctions claiming the government is moving forward without following environmental regulations. The injunctions say the railway construction puts sensitive forest and cave ecosystems at risk and forcibly relocates local and Indigenous communities. There’s also no record of the hotel’s environmental impact statement with the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat). It hasn’t authorized any hotel construction or land-use change in Calakmul, according to a document request response. Residents, finding few viable avenues for dialogue with the government, have resorted to filing complaint forms online. Residents are concerned that a large hotel will shake up the local economy, given that most lodgings near the Maya ruins are small, family-owned operations. But they’re also worried that such a large hotel will have a ripple effect on the surrounding forest and archaeological sites even after construction is done. Once a hotel like that is built there can be several problems related to water, waste, and how food is supplied. All of that is going to enter the core of the reserve.
2022
The global movement Plant-for-the-Planet continues its reforestation program.
2021
January 01
According to Global Forest Watch estimations, deforestation in the three states of the Yucatán peninsula (Campeche, Quintana Roo, Yucatán) accounted for 42.3% of all forests lost between 2001 and 2020 across Mexico.
2020
Yucatán lost approximately 22 thousand hectares of jungle, but the problem continues to get worse, according to a recent study by Global Forest Watch.
2019
March 29
Deforestation has destroyed 40% of the Yucatan jungles. (By Yucatan Times)
2016
As a Small Grants Fund recipient, the organization Pronatura Península de Yucatán A. C. incorporated GLAD deforestation alerts and biodiversity data available on GFW into a custom online platform called Maya Forest Watch. This platform is designed to map forest conditions in the Yucatán peninsula and provide near-real-time updates on tree cover loss and fires.
2015
In March, the global movement Plant-for-the-Planet planned a reforestation program.