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restoration of degraded ecosystems and the conservation and
protection of forest from disturbance factors such as forest fires,
pests and diseases. In order to revitalize the economy of the
forest sector and improve the quality of life of inhabitants of
forest areas, CONAFOR provides direct technical and financial
support to forest landowners to carry out actions for sustainable
use, conservation and restoration of forest ecosystems.
Results to date are encouraging; in Mexico’s report for the
Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Forest Resources
Assessment 2010, a reduction of 34 per cent in the annual
net deforestation rate was registered, decreasing from 235,000
hectares per year in the period 2000-2005 to 155,000 hectares
per year in 2005-2010.
The observed reduction in the rate of forest loss has also
been reflected in a lower contribution to national GHG emis-
sions. According to Mexico’s National Communications
to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, GHG emissions from the land use, land use change
and forestry sector have substantially declined, reducing its
contribution to Mexico’s total GHG emissions from 14 per
cent in 1990-2002 to only 6.3 per cent in 2010.
CONAFOR is conducting actions to restore 1 million
hectares in the period 2014-2018, under a scheme focused on
priority microwatersheds. Through the Priority-Watershed
Restoration Programme, CONAFOR provides direct support
to landowners to convert agriculture and grazing lands to
Cutzamala and La Marquesa priority watersheds
The Cutzamala system stores, conveys, treats and distributes fresh
water, benefiting 5 million of the nearly 20 million people in Mexico
City. It has been working for 20 years and is the most important
external source of water supply to Mexico Valley. Water comes
from seven reservoirs located in rivers in the states of Mexico and
Michoacan and is channelled through pipelines, and treatment and
pumping plants.
Current problems in the watershed largely originated with a decline of
vegetation cover. In the last 40 years, 13 per cent of forest cover has
been lost, mainly by land use change for agricultural purposes. This
has caused increased erosion, decreased infiltration and groundwater
recharge, gradual loss of soil fertility and increased sedimentation in
reservoirs that reduces their lifespan.
A restoration programme for Cutzamala and La Marquesa watersheds
was launched in 2009 as a pilot programme aimed at changing the
traditional restoration model for forest ecosystems. It was the first to
integrate soil conservation and restoration practices and reforestation
activities under a granting scheme of economic incentives and
technical assistance to participating landowners. Implementation
mainly focuses on priority areas to improve the provision of hydrological
environmental services.
Forest restoration actions are intended to increase the catchment
and infiltration of rainwater, reduce soil erosion and decrease risks
of floods and landslides, in order to reduce maintenance costs and
extend the lifespan of the hydraulic infrastructure. The programme
also focuses on promoting employment and income generation in local
communities, contributing to diversification of productive activities
through collaboration with other government institutions working in the
rural sector in order to create synergies between programmes.
From 2009 to 2015 soil restoration and reforestation activities
in degraded land were carried out in 105,556 hectares with an
investment of almost US$160 million.
Landowners in the Cutzamala and La Marquesa watersheds participate in forest restoration activities
Image: National Forestry Commission archive
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