Arturo García-Romero

Land Use and Land Cover Change in Highland Temperate Forests in the Izta-Popo National Park, Central Mexico

Abstract The long-term preservation of national park ecosystems requires scientific knowledge about land use/cover change (LUCC) that influences these ecosystems. LUCC in Mexican temperate mountain forests as depicted in satellite imagery was evaluated for 3 time intervals: 1970–1980, 1981–1990, and 1991–2000. Forest cover declined at an average rate of 0.35 ha per year due to timber extraction, cultivation, grazing (areas grazed by cattle), and urbanization processes. Historically, cultivation has resulted in such a high loss of plant communities in lowlands that regional diversity has been threatened. Currently, though, cultivation has been reduced due to a decline in the economic importance of corn and bean crops. By contrast, grazing has increased due to low labor costs and economic policies that provide incentives for cattle production in Mexico. The abandonment of cultivated land due to economic processes may have strong implications on the regeneration of plant communities in temperate forests. Highland temperate forest and subalpine grasslands remain relatively intact due to national park protection, which is essential to maintain species diversity at a regional scale.

Evolution of disturbed oak woodlands: the case of Mexico City’s western forest reserve

Mexico City is the largest city in population and area in the world. In the last 30 years it has expanded its area westwards to include the mountains of the Sierra de las Cruces. These mountains contain the nearest forest reserve for the citizens of Mexico City. Deforestation and severe ecological degradation resulting from the destruction of the natural environment; air, water and soil pollution; and hydrological and geomorphological imbalances, limit the capacity of these areas to support forest regeneration. This study focuses on the geo-ecology of the climax oak woodlands found in the Sierra de las Cruces. Based on morpho-structural evidence, bioclimatic type, degree of human intervention and general geo-ecological considerations, three territorial systems have been differentiated in which the oak woodlands exist in different climax facies: a) oak woodlands developed in very humid and cool environments located on low mountain slopes; b) disturbed oak woodlands developed in humid and cool environments located on high piedmonts; and c) highly disturbed oak woodlands developed in subhumid and temperate environments, located on low piedmonts. A comparative study of the content, structure and functional relationships of the secondary facies associated with these climax communities, allowed conclusions to be drawn on the way oak woodlands respond to human intervention, and the risky situations to which these communities are subjected, particularly the most sensitive facies that deserve immediate protection.

Plant Colonization of Recent Lahar Deposits on Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico

This work investigates the initial colonization on recent lahar deposits of the northeast slope of Popocatepetl volcano, Mexico, where 29 circular sample plots (1.57 m2) were established to determine the development stages of colonization in four types of habitats: 1997 lahar, 2001 lahar, margins, and terraces at the channels bottom. Cluster analysis and the Sørensen Index were used to determine the floristic affinity of these lahars. Richness, frequency, percentage of species contribution, plant cover, density, and stem height were analyzed to determine the composition and structure of plant communities. The distribution of these variables reveals that the communities often have a simple internal structure; however, a relationship has already been established between changes in resilience and the age of the four lahars. Thus, floristic composition develops rapidly (1 sp. in terraces, 11 spp. in the margins, 29 spp. in the 2001 lahar, and 34 spp. in the 1997 lahar). Except for the 1997 lahar, however, structural characteristics are poorly developed in other incipient stages. As colonization advances, the affinity among the various components and sectors of the laharic deposits decreases, thus promoting the gradual incorporation of species found on the adjacent gorge slopes. The Principal Components Analysis used to identify other explanatory factors shows that of 15 variables studied, those associated with the morpho-sedimentology, the hydrovolcanic dynamics and stability of deposits (microtopography, thickness of the deposit, clast shapes, length of the deposit, depth of the gorge, and slope processes) explain a large percentage of variance. Only a few species (Lupinus campestris, Alchemilla procumbens and Penstemon gentianoides), are well adapted to poor soils and the effects of intense erosion caused by the flows.

Landform Instability and Land-use Dynamics in Tropical High Mountains, Central Mexico

This investigation is an analysis of the influence of landform instability on the distribution of land-use dynamics in a hydrographical basin, located in the Mexican Volcanic Belt mountain range (central Mexico), currently affected by substantial changes in land use and deforestation. A landform map was produced, in addition to seven attribute maps — altimetry, drainage density, slope, relief energy, potential erosion, geology and tectonics — which were considered as factors for determining landform instability through Multi-criteria Evaluation Analysis. Likewise, the direction and rhythm of land-use dynamics were analyzed in four dates — between 1976 and 2000 — and cross tabulations were made between them, in order to analyze the trends and processes of land-use dynamics. Afterwards, the databases obtained were cross tabulated with the landform variables to derive areas, percentages and correlation indices. In the study area, high-instability landforms are associated with most ancient volcanic and sedimentary landforms, where high altitude, drainage density, slope and potential to develop gravitational and fluvial processes are the major factors favouring a land-use pattern, dominated by the conservation of extensive forest land, abandonment of human land use and regeneration of disturbed areas. In contrast, low-instability landforms correspond to alluvial plains and lava hills covered by pyroclasts, where low potential erosion to develop fluvial processes, added to water and soil availability and accessibility, have favoured a land-use pattern dominated by the expansion of agroforestry plantations and human settlements, showing a marked trend towards either intensification or permanence of the current land use and with little abandonment and regeneration.