Acceso en línea sin restricciones

The assessment of landscape dynamic changes under community-based management schemes represents a key step to assess the viability of alternative forest sustainable models. We evaluated changes in structure and composition of a forested landscape subject to a community-based management scheme in southern Mexico over the past 30 years. Forest use and history in the study landscape coupled with relatively intense silvicultural practices have led to a significant replacement of mature forests by a complex mixture of early successional vegetation stages. An analysis of land cover changes (1986-2001 and 2001-2016) reveals that closed forests experienced a high rate of change (-3%) and high levels of fragmentation, whereas secondary forests (3%), bare soils and low vegetation (3%), and scrub (0.4%) have recorded important increases in land cover. A monitoring scheme is urgently needed to evaluate landscape modification and to strengthen conservation and sustainability in community-based management programs. Inglés