Future Prospects for Tropical Dry Forests

The future does not look too bright for the conservation status of tropical dry forests. Already, 71% of tropical dry forests in Mexico have been cultivated and impacted by human use (Portillo-Quintero 150). Studies show that it takes between 55 and 95 years for a forest that has been used for various purposes like agriculture and grazing to recover to its pre-cultivation biomass level (Read and Lawrence, 94). Due to the fact it takes so many decades for tropical dry forests to regenerate, the ecosystem is having a difficult time keeping up with the rate of fragmentation caused by anthropogenic effects. Another issue arises due to the fact that the composition of the soil is being affected (Aguilar-Fernández, Jaramillo, Varela-Fregoso & Gavito, 179). Even if the tropical dry forests were given time to recover from the agricultural damage, native plants destroyed by the slash-and-burn process may have trouble re-sprouting. There may also be a growth of invasive plants that thrive from the new soil composition caused by the slash-and-burn practices. These new invasive plants will make it even more difficult for native plants to regain their original quantities in the tropical dry forests. As we learned in lecture, tropical dry forests are not adapted to fire and invasive plants often grow rapidly and use resources that make the native plants have to compete. Also, the government is in a difficult position of balancing the protection of the ecosystem and the survival of the people subsisting off of the ecosystem. 

Slashed and burned tropical dry forest in Mexico

Source: http://tinyurl.com/7hjezod

As you can see in this image, the slash-and-burn process used in order to farm crops like maize, leaves the tropical dry forest in poor condition. This area may take up to 95 years to recover. 

On a more positive note, we can see slight progress in efforts to conserve tropical dry forests over a span of about 13 years. In 1988, only 0.09% of the forests in the Mesoamerican region had some degree of protection (Miles, Newton, DeFries, Ravilious, May, Blyth, Kapos, and Gordon 492), whereas by 2009, 0.2% of this region was under protection. This increase, though still a small overall percentage of protection, is heading in the right direction (Portillo-Quintero 150).

Success Story: Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve

Image of the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco, Mexico

Source: (Romero-Duque, Jaramillo, and Perez-Jimenez, 40)

The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve in Jalisco is an area of protected dry forest in Mexico. The effort to preserve this area was by both National University of Mexico and the Cuixmala Ecological Foundation. This area was originally threatened by a “tourism development scheme promoted by one of the most powerful banks and construction companies in Mexico”, but through legal and public campaigning this area became protected. The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve is made up of 13,200 ha and is owned by the National University of Mexico, nongovernmental organizations, and several private companies (Ceballos and Garcia 1351).

This reserve protects:

            9 major vegetation types

            more than 1100 species of vascular plants

            85 reptiles and amphibians

            265 bird species

            70 mammal species

            81 endemic vertebrate species

            72 species at risk of extinction 
            Source: (Ceballos and Garcia 1351)