Living Land

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Combating desertification and

land degradation in the forestry sector

Mexico’s National Forestry Commission

exico has a unique biodiversity; this is why the

Government of Mexico is promoting the protec-

tion and conservation of its natural resources,

which are the basis for a healthy economy and a decent

life for a large number of people.

Mexico has 138 million hectares of forest vegetation, equiva-

lent to 70 per cent of the national territory. More than 64

million hectares are covered by forests, rainforests and other

ecosystems dominated by arboreal life forms.

In addition to its important role for biodiversity conserva-

tion, forest vegetation is extremely important in the provision

of ecosystem services. It is related to the regulation of the

hydrological cycle, biodiversity conservation, soil formation

and protection, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The social relevance of forest ecosystems in Mexico is

significant. It is estimated that over 11 million people live in

forest areas, which heavily rely on these ecosystems to meet

their daily subsistence needs.

Degradation processes of forest ecosystems have major conse-

quences. These include reducing ecosystem services such as

those related to regulation of the hydrological cycle (for example

the quantity and quality of water provision; flood and landslide

control) as well as loss of fertile agricultural land and increased

desertification by the presence of erosion, increasing greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions through the loss of forest biomass and the

decreased capacity of forest ecosystems to adapt to the effects of

climate change, besides the loss of biodiversity.

Among the most visible causes of degradation of forest

ecosystems in Mexico are overgrazing, illegal logging, land use

change of forest lands, wildfires, presence of forest pests and

diseases and unsustainable exploitation of forest resources,

whether for domestic or commercial purposes.

As part of Mexico’s strategy to combat desertification and

land degradation, since 2001, when the National Forestry

Commission (CONAFOR) was created, national forest policy

and programmes have aimed to promote good land manage-

ment practices through sustainable forest management,

CONAFOR provides direct support to landowners to carry out activities such

as soil conservation, and restoration

The PES programme helps to finance soil restoration measures

Image: National Forestry Commission archive

Image: Fabricas de Agua del Centro de Sinaloa (FACES)

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