The state of the environment in Mexico

Abstract

Abstract:The present work evaluates the state of the environment in Mexico based on indicators of the present status of the country's natural resource management, social and economical conditions and anthropogenic modifications. The Mexican environment is interpreted as a spatially open system having a historical character that is essentially determined by the continual interaction between nature, society and economy. The landscape approach is followed, considering as units of territorial analysis each one of the 145 biophysical environmental units included in the national physiographic regionalization. The assessment of 16 indicators for each biophysical environmental unit was made considering their regional environmental integrity problems, the degree of disarticulation of their structure and function, and the alteration of their territorial structure, all of which determine whether or not they accomplish their environmental functions and achieve environmental stability. The classification of the state of the environment included 5 categories in 8 combinations represented in the map of the state of the environment in Mexico for the year 2008. The map shows that nearly 47.10% of the country's surface has an environmental status ranging between unstable and critical, the problematic areas being mostly concentrated in the southeast and center of the national territory.

The socioecological complexity of ecological restoration in Mexico

“…High ( (Carabias et al 2007;Anta-Fonseca et al 2008;Bollo-Manent et al 2014). Also, approximately 48% of the area covered by vegetation showed some level of degradation and desertification, and 6% of the BEUs analyzed were classified as having water bodies in critical states (Table 1).…”

“…Evaluating the phenomenon of deforestation is complex because it has multiple origins and causes corresponding to various biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. In the evaluation of the State of the Environment for Mexico in the year 2008, Bollo‐Manent et al () identified 145 Biophysical Environmental Units (BEU). BEUs were assessed using 15 indicators for the management of natural resources, including those relevant to anthropic modification and socioeconomic status.…”

“…BEUs were assessed using 15 indicators for the management of natural resources, including those relevant to anthropic modification and socioeconomic status. Approximately 50% of the Mexican territory had some degree of degradation (Carabias et al ; Anta‐Fonseca et al ; Bollo‐Manent et al ). Also, approximately 48% of the area covered by vegetation showed some level of degradation and desertification, and 6% of the BEUs analyzed were classified as having water bodies in critical states (Table ).…”

“…Percentage of Mexican territory affected by four indicators of natural resource management problems. Each indicator was evaluated in 145 Biophysical Environmental Units (BEU) and assigned a qualitative category of degradation (very low, low, medium, high, and very high degree of deterioration); here we show percentage of territory included in the two highest degrees of degradation from Bollo-Manent et al (2014) and references therein.…”

Restoration planning to guide Aichi targets in a megadiverse country

“…Almost half its territory is in an unstable to critically degraded environmental state based on biophysical, social, and economic indicators (Bollo Manent et al. ), which threatens ecosystem stability and human quality of life. The magnitude of historic and current trends of habitat loss and degradation indicates the importance of restoration as a key strategy to conserve biodiversity and promote human well‐being (Sarukhán et al.…”