1. - INSTITUTIONAL AND POLITICAL MATTERS
Originating with the new Mexican Government in December 2000, important and significant changes have arisen in national policy, many of which have a direct impact on activities in the forestry sector. Of note among them are the following: initiation of the Plan Puebla Panamá, consolidation of the Strategic Forestry Plan, creation of the National Forestry Commission, changes in the legal status of the National Institute for Research in Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries (INIFAP), and proposals for a new forest law - among others - which are summarised briefly as follows.
1.1. - Plan Puebla Panamá
The Plan Puebla Panamá is an important goal of President Vicente Fox Quezada's government - to get rid of the large disparities in development levels between the North, the centre of Mexico, and the south-east region. The program aims not only to reduce the regional differences in Mexico, but also to strengthen the market and integration with countries in Central America. The objective of the Plan Puebla Panamá is to contribute to raising the standard of living of people in the region, and to have an impact through policies and public instruments on the processes of restructuring and financing for the execution of development projects. It will do this with the authorities from state and municipal governments, the private sector, civil society, international financing organisations, and from other country governments in the region, with full respect to their sovereignty and free choice.
Governments in the region involved in the plan are already coming together and are taking very positive steps in collaboration to resolve problems in many areas of common interest.
Without doubt, the actions that have been started between the countries of Central America and Mexico concerning forestry bring possibilities for development, exchange of experience, co-operation and institutional co-ordination. This will contribute to making good use of the accumulated experience of each participating country, and in elaborating projects together so as to resolve common problems in natural resources.
1.2- National Plan for Forestry Development 2025
In June 2001, the National Forestry Plan came into being which contains an analysis of the situation and establishes a strategic development plan for the forest sector until 2025, and also establishes significant sectoral objectives.
The strategic objectives of the forestry sector are derived from, and form part of the national development objectives. They are expressed in the substantial commitments of the current President of the United States of Mexico, Vincente Fox Quezada, which - concerning forestry matters - are summarised as follows:
a). - give priority on strategy and national security to the forestry sector;
b). - strengthen the states and municipalities;
c). - promote cultural changes to use water and forests in a responsible and sustainable way, given that forest resources are a "matter of national security";
d). - integrate policies for sustainable use of forest resources, management of water sheds, soil conservation, and biodiversity protection;
e). - actively promote community participation in forestry projects;
f). - use economic instruments as incentives to conserve and restore ecosystems;
g). - create a National Forestry Commission
h). - establish a broad consultative process with participants and specialised professional groups;
The specific objectives originated from national participatory processes of the interest groups, the Forest administration, and of the other public sectors involved in the Mexican forestry sector. This was done via consultations within the framework of the National Technical Forestry Council, and the Commission for Woods and Forests of the House of Representatives, amongst other fora.
Among the expected outputs, the following can be mentioned: reduction in rural poverty; greater sectoral contribution to the Gross Domestic Product and external commerce; greater competitiveness and integration of companies in private and social sectors; reduction of environmental impacts concerning deforestation, biodiversity, fragmentation, and increase in CO2 fixation; and contribution to the national security in water availability.
1.3. - Creation of the National Forestry Commission.
Considering that it is important to encourage the development and conservation of forest resources in the country, the government of Mexico has issued a decree creating the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), located in the Environment and Natural Resources Secretariat.
The Commission has a Governing Body, which is the organisation's highest authority, made up of representatives from the following Secretariats: National Defence; Finance and Public Credit; Environment and Natural Resources; Economy; Agriculture, Cattle-raising, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food; Agrarian Reform, and Tourism, as well as the National Water Commission. Members of the Governing Body have a voice and vote in its sessions. For each member of this collegiate entity, a substitute at Subsecretary level is nominated (in the case of the National Water Commission, at Subdirector-General level).
CONAFOR has the following mission: to contribute to increasing Mexican living standards, employment and development opportunities by means of sustainable forest management - a matter of national security - through the application of criteria for regional inclusion, competitiveness and development, based on long-term planning and on standards of good governance, democracy, federation, transparency and accountability, so as to promote a better forest situation for Mexico within the global scene, in which principles of humanism, equity and change apply.
Information concerning CONAFOR is found on the web site at www.conafor.gob.mx
1.4. - Transformation of INIFAP
The Federal Government considers that one of the guiding objectives of the National Development Plan 2001 to 2006, within the theme of growth with quality, is to increase and extend the country's competitiveness. It also considers that it is essential to promote actions for generation, use and application of technological innovations as strategic resources that can contribute to satisfying the needs of Mexican society. As a result, it has promoted the transformation of INIFAP to a decentralised public entity, with legal status and its own resources. INAFAP's objectives will be to carry out scientific and technological research in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, human resource training, and development and technological innovation in these fields.
It is important to note that the decree for creating the new INIFAP was signed by the President of the Republic and the heads of Secretariats for: Agriculture, Cattle-raising, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance and Public Credit; Audit and Administrative Development.
The National Institute for Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries Research will be directed and administered by a Governing Body and a General Director. The Governing Body is made up of: a President, who is head of the Secretariat for Agriculture, Cattle-raising, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food; Sub-secretaries and the chef clerk of the same organisation, as well as a representative from each of the Secretariats of: Finance and Public Credit; Environment and Natural Resources; the Director General of the National Science and Technology Bureau, and the Director General of the National Forestry Commission.
Additionally, at the invitation of its President, the following form an integral part of the Governing Body: the President of the National Co-ordinating Committee of the Fundaciones Produce (civil association), the President of the Mexican Association of Secretaries of Farming Development (Civil Association), a researcher from the National Institute for Forestry, Agricultural and Fisheries Research, and two representatives from institutions or associations of recognised moral standing, merit, professional prestige and experience related to the main activities of the organisation
The file containing the founding decree can be found on INIFAP's web page at the following address www.inifap.conacyt.mx
1.5. - New Forest Law project
With the aim of adapting its forestry legislation to the new arrangements of structure and organisation within the Federal Government, SEMARNAT, through CONAFOR, has started a process of review and modification of the present Mexican Forest Law, which has been made available on the web page of CONAFOR (www.conafor.gob.mx) where the email address for sending suggestions can also be found. As is usual in these cases, consultative fora are being organised, in which the sectoral institutions, producers and industries can participate, as well as the Mexican society stakeholders in general.
The forest law proposal documents, as well as the current forest law and its regulations, are being sent separately to the Panel of Experts Secretariat.
2. - TECHNICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES
International Seminar: Eucalyptus - Environmental Impact, Technology and Benefits.
This seminar took place in Mexico City from the 14-16 of October 1999, attended by well-known researchers who contributed, with their knowledge and experience, to increasing the common pool of understanding and current concerns with regard to development, benefits and impact.
At the event, an environmental impact study of eucalyptus was presented, carried out by Christel Palmberg-Lerché and a colleague, which touched on a somewhat controversial theme, and helped to allay many doubts and queries, and countered many myths that surround forest plantation development in Mexico.
16th Workshop on North American Forest Biology and Conference 2000 of the Association of Forestry Geneticists of the Western USA.
The working groups on physiology and forest genetics of the Society of American Foresters (SAF), have for last 30 years periodically organised the North American Forest Biology Workshop, as a forum to present and discuss latest advances in research within the different disciplines of forest biology, in the context of sustainable management of forest resources, and the general issues that are faced by North American forests.
With the support of the Study Groups in Forest Genetic Resources, Silviculture and Atmospheric Change, of the North American Forestry Commission (COFAN) and the Association of Forest Geneticists of the Western United States of America, INIFAP and other research and higher education institutions, organised a workshop in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, during July 2000. This was the first time that this has been organised outside of the United States and Canada.
The workshop had the theme: "Impact of global environmental change on forests and the impact of forests on global environmental change". Masters papers and studies or range of topics linked to the theme were presented, as well as a poster session. Scientists from the United States, Canada, Costs Rica, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Mexico attended.
The proceedings of the event, in its final working form, are available on the web page of the COFAN study groups at the address www.fs.fed.us/global/nafc/welcome.html and in the summaries in the publication that have been made available to you in this room.
Collection of Pinus radiata on Guadeloupe and Cedros islands, Mexico.
In May 2001, the University of California organised a trip to the islands of Guadeloupe and Cedros, in Mexico - through its forest genetic resources conservation programme, to collect cones of the last remaining individuals of Pinus radiata.
The reason for the trip was the difficult situation affecting pines and other species on the island. Pinus radiata grows naturally in five locations around the world. The islands of Cedros and Guadeloupe in Mexico, and three places located in the peninsula of Monterrey, California, United States, Cambria, Monterey/Carmel and Año Nuevo.
On Guadeloupe Island, the trees grow on conditions of shallow rocky soils and drought, and survive on environmental moisture produced by mist that forms every day and is condensed and used by the vegetation. According to the first report of the working group, to date only 200 trees of the pine exist on the island.
In addition to the previous problem, one should add the large population of goats (introduced many years ago to provide fresh meat for the fishing boat crews that operate in the area), which have affected the vegetation during searching and foraging for food.
The conditions of the stands on Cedros island are different, where many stands of young and old trees exist, and environmental conditions are better.
The working group was led by Dr Deborah Rogers, (University of California) with a total of fourteen persons participating, among them Drs. Jesús Vargas-Hernández, Jesús J. Guerra-Santos and Javier López Upton (Postgraduate College, Mexico) and A. Colin Matheson (CSIRO Australia).
Financing for this important activity of germplasm rescue and conservation for valuable forest species, came from various sources, among them the UC MEXUS Programme of the University of California (that seeks to increase collaboration between scientists from Mexico and the University of California); from the Department for Industries, Science and Resources; from the Australian Government; from FAO, via the Department of Forests; and from personal contributions made by the members of the expedition.
Provenance and progeny trials of Swietenia macrophylla and Cedrela odorata
Although provenance and progeny trials of mahogany and cedar have been established for more than 25 years, only a few years ago were efforts renewed to obtain greater knowledge of the variability in natural populations of both species, and above all to find possible sources of tolerance to attack by the most important pests of Hypsipyla grandella and Chrysobothris yucatanensis, - borers of terminal shoot and trunk of mahogany and cedar, respectively.
Efforts were restarted and continued with INIFAP - CATIE to collect seeds of mahogany, and with the United States Forest Service, to establish progeny trials of mahogany in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Additionally, at local level, research projects have been put together to explore in greater detail the Mexican populations of the two species and thus continue the Genetic Improvement Programme and the search for material of high-value and sources of tolerance to the borers. These projects have a small financing through the "Fundaciones Produce" in the Southeast region of the country.
3. - OPERATIONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
3.1. - National Plan For Forest Genetic Improvement
CONAFOR, as the state organisation charged with co-ordinating activities developed in the forestry sector, convened a meeting of research institutions, universities, and forest producer organisations, to analyse the status of forest species improvement in Mexico, with the aim of co-ordinating efforts and incorporating them into the National Plan for Forest Genetic Improvement, so as to allow integration of the national institutions and achieve conservation and efficient use of forest germplasm. It should be noted that in these meetings, colleagues from CATIE participated, among them Dr Francisco Mesen, who is also a member of this Panel of Experts.
Within the program of commercial forest plantations, a main problem has been the lack of development in the production of forest germplasm, and for this reason the Strategic Forest Program for Mexico 2025, and the Forest Development Plan 2001 to 2006, gives great importance and high priority to the topic of forest genetic resources.
Genetic improvement Jalisco (Chile)
With the support of the Fundación Chile, a range of activities were started aimed at putting together the Forest Development Plan for the state of Jalisco, for some Pinus species of interest for establishing forest plantations. There has been progress in the establishment of seed orchards for Pinus douglasiana, a species of rapid growth that has fragmented populations throughout its distribution.
Forest Development Plan, Chiapas (INAFOR)
With the support of the Chilean Forestry Institute, a range of activities were initiated aimed at putting together a Forest Development Plan for the State of Chiapas, within which a Genetic Improvement Programme is being considered, aimed at making use of the genetic diversity of the most important forest species. This will lay the foundation for the management, conservation and use of germplasm, by means of activities based on existing experience, complemented by technological support, for its use in the plant production and plantation establishment programmes that are being planned in Chiapas.
The program is planning in situ and ex situ conservation actions for various species, among them: Pinus chiapensis, stands of Pinus pseudostrobus, and tropical broadleaved species Swietenia macrophylla and Tabebuia chrysanta.
Activities of COFAN
The North American Forestry Commission (COFAN), through its study groups, has continued a series of research activities in collaboration between scientists of the three countries concerned - Canada, United States, and Mexico. Among these, a range of activities carried out by the Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources should be noted:
During the year 2000, a course on Conservation Genetics at the College of Postgraduates, Montecillo, Edo. De Mexico, Mexico was developed. A Symposium on Conservation and Biology was organised in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. The study on Piceas, Pinos and Pseudotsugas of Mexico has been continued. A proposal was prepared for a large study on the Piñon pines of North America. Review and critique of genetic diversity indicators. Elaboration of an annotated bibliography of undergraduate and postgraduate theses in Mexican universities on themes of genetics, ecology and biogeography of forest species, and their preparation for incorporation in a Internet web page.
| [2] Original language: Spanish. Translation by: M. Robbins |
