Clearance and fragmentation of tropical montane forests in the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico (1975–2000)

Tropical montane forests have been recognised as having global conservation importance. However, they are being rapidly destroyed in many regions of the world. Our study focuses on the rate of loss and patterns of fragmentation in tropical montane forests in the Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, during a 25-year period. Data from Landsat satellite imagery from 1975 (MSS), 1990 (TM) and 2000 (ETM+) were used to ascertain annual deforestation rates of 1.3 and 4.8% for the 1975–1990 and 1990–2000 periods, respectively. Spatial patterns of forest fragmentation were identified using selected landscape indices. Increases in the number of forest fragments (3520–10,542), patch density (1.0–3.2 patches/100 ha), and total edge length (24,781–38,400 km) were associated with decreases in the mean patch size (65.0–8.7 ha), largest patch index (60.7–4.0%), total core area (99,422–9,611 ha), and mean proximity index (101,369–1405). The observed trends indicate increasing deforestation and fragmentation, particularly during the 1990–2000 period. Circa 50% of the forest cover in the Highlands has been lost in 25 years, and a proportion of the remaining forests have been degraded as a result of human use. Increasing human population and a more demanding use of soils for agriculture and timber arise as the major causes of deforestation in the study area. We suggest that conservation efforts should be focused on the management of the natural system and the management of the external influences on it, particularly the detection of hotspots, passive and active restoration and sustainable forest exploitation by the local indigenous communities.