management

Improving the accuracy of aboveground biomass estimations in secondary tropical dry forests

Biomass estimates in tropical forests are mainly available for old-growth forests, but the expansion of tropical secondary forests urges the development of tools for more accurate estimations of biomass and carbon pools. In this study, we developed local allometric models to estimate aboveground biomass in secondary tropical dry forests of the Chamela region in western Mexico and compared their accuracy to that of non-local (“foreign”) allometric models. We harvested 303 trees from 27 woody species contributing ≥75% of total basal area in secondary forest plots (5–45 y-old) distributed across the landscape.

Economic valuation of ecosystem services from secondary tropical forests: trade-offs and implications for policy making

Natural regeneration of secondary forests can be an important source of recovery of ecosystem services (ES) critical for humanity, especially for climate change mitigation and adaptation goals. However, natural regeneration entails synergies and trade-offs across ESs and across stakeholders. To evaluate these trade-offs, we assessed the economic value of four ESs along the course of a natural regeneration process of tropical dry forests of the Pacific Coast of Mexico, and examined how this can inform the design of Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes incentivizing forest restoration.

Unraveling households’ natural resource management strategies: a case study in Jalisco, Mexico

The analysis of resource management strategies is considered to be relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems. In Mexico, ejidos are the most important of the land tenure institutions that grant access to resources inside communities. Although it is recognized that an ejido’s internal structure creates different social groups, few studies have explored their resource management strategies. The aim of this study was to characterize natural resource management strategies in two ejidos in a highly biodiverse region on the southern coast of Jalisco, Mexico.

Assessing the cascading effects of management and landscape on the arthropod guilds occurring in papaya plantations

El manejo intensivo tiene un impacto negativo en la produccion de papaya y sus enemigos naturales.