Nature conservation is critical for securing an adequate supplying of environmental services to humans. Paradoxically, financial resources for conservation are normally scarce and, forest ecosystem restoration activities are expensive. So, a careful and detailed planning is vital for optimizing economic funds when ecosystems restoration practices are implemented. In this work, we developed a methodology to find physically-degraded sites in order to determine both, urgency and feasibility to carry out ecological forest restoration activities in the Priority Region for Conservation Xilitla in the state of San Luis Potosí (Mexico). Both, Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) were integrated together by using climatic, soil, remotely-sensed, and proximity data at a 30 m spatial resolution. The results indicated that, more than 80% of the bare soil land in the protected area is under several conditions that lead to feasible ecosystem restoration. This methodology can be further applied to know about the spatial location of soil degraded sites when planning forest restoration practices in natural protected areas.

The Organic Products Law considers the Participatory Organic Certification System (POCS) as a guarantee system for consumers, aimed at organized small-scale producers which are directly connected to a local market. This article analyzes the challenges of the POCS in six markets in Mexico, underlining the changes brought about by the inclusion of POCS into national legislation of organic production. The results show the existing limiting and enabling factors that favor or threaten the participatory certification operation in these markets. They have to do with the legal constitution and consolidation of the certification group, the need to count on a well-defined POCS operational structure, and institutional support.

Cambios en la cubierta vegetal, usos de la tierra y escenarios futuros en la región costera del estado de Oaxaca, México

Este artículo presenta una revisión de los arreglos de gobernanza ambiental de los pagos por servicios ambientales (psa) en América Latina identificando los actores, marcos normativos y las instituciones que sustentan su instrumentación. Describir los arreglos de gobernanza ambiental es de particular relevancia ya que dentro de éstos se enmarca la gestión de los recursos naturales bajo el contexto de los servicios ambientales. El análisis demuestra que el Estado sigue cumpliendo un papel muy importante de arbitraje y de asignación de roles entre los actores involucrados, a pesar de la neoliberalización de la naturaleza y de la política de conservación. El estudio hace evidente la presencia de diferentes arreglos de gobernanza ambiental, caracterizados por el involucramiento de diversos actores, específicamente del sector privado, organizaciones no gubernamentales, organismos multilaterales y actores de base. Se concluye que, si bien los arreglos de gobernanza de los pagos por servicios ambientales han permitido democratizar los beneficios de la conservación, es necesario establecer derechos claros de propiedad sobre este tipo de servicios para contrarrestar las asimetrías experimentadas por las comunidades locales como parte de su condición vulnerable dentro de la lógica de la conservación neoliberal.

Natural protected areas are recognized as key to the conservation of biodiversity and to face deforestation. Their effectiveness requires both an integrated model and the social participation of local actors. The present study analyzes the deforestation process and its relationship with governance at the Sierra de la Abra Tanchipa Biosphere Reserve (RBSAT), Mexico, and Piedras Blancas National Park (PNPB), Costa Rica. Spatial analysis and participatory methodologies were applied in this study. Over 20 years, 37 ha were deforested in the RBSAT and 396 ha in the PNPB. Cooperation between local actors and institutions, a higher level of governance and empowerment, explains the low deforestation. Land tenure insecurity, unfinished demarcation, and weak governance are the principal threats. A management scheme combining environmental governance, the capacity for institutional management, and international cooperation would be an appropriate model for protected areas.