Wildlife Conservation and Management in Mexico

Abstract

Mexico's wildlife has been impacted by human land use changes and socioeconomic and political factors since before the Spanish conquest in 1521. Presently, it has been estimated that more than 60% of the land area has been severely degraded. Mexico ranks in the top 3 countries in biodiversity, is a plant and faunal dispersal corridor, and is a crucial element in the conservation and management of North American wildlife. Wildlife management prerogatives and regulatory powers reside in the federal government with states relegated a minimum role. The continuous shifting of federal agencies responsible for wildlife management with the concomitant lack of adequate federal funding has not permitted the establishment of a robust wildlife program. In addition, wildlife conservation has been further impacted by a failure to establish landowner incentives, power struggles over user rights, resistance to change, and lack of trust and experience in protecting and managing Mexico's wildlife. We believe future strategies for wildlife programs must take into account Mexico's highly diversified mosaic of ecosystems, cultures, socioeconomic levels, and land tenure and political systems. The private sector, along with communal properties, in cooperation with federal and municipal governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and international agencies may have the greatest potential of sustainable management of Mexico's wildlife. The present federal wildlife management strategy is an initial positive effort because it promotes participatory wildlife conservation by key stakeholders. We identify the aspects of this strategy that we believe will be needed to establish a sustainable program to manage Mexico's wildlife.

Deforestation and knowledge gaps threaten conservation of less charismatic species: status of the arboreal squirrels of Mexico

“…However, annual deforestation rates > 1.0% nationwide pose serious threats to the diversity and conservation of arboreal squirrels and other species in the country (Sánchez-Cordero et al 2005). Furthermore, owing to the lack of permanent monitoring in the country, deforestation rates are difficult to estimate but range between 450,000 and 1,500,000 ha/ year (Aguilar et al 2000, Valdez et al 2006. Mexico has lost > 95% of its tropical forests and > 50% of its temperate forests (Céspedes-Flores and Moreno-Sánchez 2010).…”

Status and population structure of a hunted population of Marco Polo Argali Ovis ammon polii (Cetartiodactyla, Bovidae) in Southeastern Tajikistan

“…In Kyrgyzstan, the lamb:ewe ratio was 43 in a stable to growing population in late summer (Fedosenko et al 1995). In summer surveys in southern Mongolia, Reading et al (1997) and Valdez et al (1995) reported lamb ratios of 44 and 40, respectively. In Alaska, where climatic conditions are similar, the average Dall's sheep (Ovis dalli) lamb ratio was 37 lambs, but ratios can range from 0 to 80 lambs per 100 adult ewes (Hoefs and Cowan 1979).…”

Conservation and management of ungulates in North America

“…Mexico had a longer history of land exploitation than either Canada or the USA. Prior to the arrival of Spaniards in 1521, the Mayan Indians practised intensive agriculture, cleared forests, and harvested plants and animals, all of which destroyed wildlife habitats and locally depleted wildlife populations [15]. Environmental impacts increased with the arrival of Spaniards as they mined precious metals, harvested timber, introduced livestock and ranching, enhanced intensive agriculture and continued with the largely unregulated exploitation of wildlife and fish [16].…”