Forest cover loss in the Nevado de Toluca volcano protected area (Mexico) after the change to a less restrictive category in 2013
Por:
Gonzalez-Fernandez, Andrea, Segarra, Joel, Sunny, Armando, Couturier, Stephane
Publicada:
1 mar 2022
Resumen:
In 2013, the protection status of the Nevado de Toluca Volcano was
changed from National Park to a less restrictive category. Much
controversy has arisen surrounding this decision as the new category
allows forest harvesting practices in most of the natural protected
area. We assessed the forest cover loss in the Nevado de Toluca
protected area and a 20 km buffer zone around it, before and after the
change in protection status, and we established a map of forest types in
view of assessing biodiversity vulnerability to the protection change in
the forest harvesting areas. The forest type classification was carried
out applying a Random Forest algorithm to Sentinel-2 imagery. The forest
cover loss was assessed using the Landsat-based Global Forest Watch
product during the period 2001-2019. Forest cover loss increased after
the change of the Nevado de Toluca protection status; 39.7 hectares/year
(+/- 16.7 ha/year) between 2001 and 2013 versus 106.0 hectares/year (+/-
40.2 ha/year) between 2014 and 2019. Clear-cut deforestation occurred in
49.6 hectares during year 2018. According to our forest map, 7171 ha
(54.8%) of the Abies religiosa forest and 6511 ha (32.5%) of the pine
forests of the Nevado de Toluca protected area are inside the forest
harvesting zonation. Also, forest cover loss around the natural
protected area has increased, especially in 2018, indicating that
allowing forest harvesting practices in the natural protected area has
not reduced the pressure in the surrounding forests either. We ponder
the consequences of the category change and give some suggestions for
the future of the forests in the Nevado de Toluca protected area.
Filiaciones:
Natl Autonomous Univ Mexico UNAM, Geog Inst, Lab Geospatial Anal LAGE, Circuito Exterior S-N,Cd Univ, Mexico City 04510, DF, Mexico
Autonomous Metropolitan Univ, Campus Lerma,Hidalgo Pte 46, Lerma 52006, Estado De Mexic, Mexico
Univ Barcelona, Fac Biol, Plant Physiol Sect, Integrat Crop Ecophysiol Grp, Avinguda Diagonal 643, Barcelona 08028, Spain
Autonomous Univ State Mexico, Ctr Res Appl Biol Sci, Inst Literario 100, Toluca 50000, State Of Mexico, Mexico
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