Mexican official reports deforestation much worse than previously estimated
Copyright 2001 Associated Press
December 3, 2001 Monday
MEXICO CITY (AP)- A new study of satellite images suggests that Mexico is losing forest cover almost twice as fast as previously estimated, making it the country with the second-highest deforestation rate in the world, the Environment Department reported Monday.
For years, government agencies had estimated that Mexico was losing about 1.5 million acres (600,000 hectares) of forest each year to logging, fires and the expansion of farms and ranches, the government news agency Notimex reported. But according to a multi-agency study of satellite images taken between 1993 and 2000, forest loss in those years averaged about 2.78 million acres (1.12 million hectares), Environment Secretary Victor Lichtinger told a news conference.
Over eight years, Mexico lost a total of forest cover equivalent to the area of Ireland, with much of the land being taken over by farms and ranches. Scientists estimate that Brazil has the world's highest deforestation rate, followed by Mexico and Indonesia.
"The change in vegetation is the result of farming and other rural activities," Lichtinger said.
"The situation is doubly critical ... because the loss of forests isn't just a question of plants, it's a loss of fertility, of water retention, of oxygen creation, it's a loss on many fronts," Lichtinger said.
Upon taking office one year ago, President Vicente Fox pledged to combat deforestation, by cracking down on illegal logging and encouraging reforestation for commercial and other uses.
Mexico is home to both forests, with trees like pine and firs, and jungle. Previous estimates indicated the country was losing 1.56 percent of its forests each year, but the new study suggest that rate may be much higher, and that forests and jungles could disappear within a matter of decades.