Forest cover loss in the Nevado de Toluca volcano protected area (Mexico) after the change to a less restrictive category in 2013

• Published in: Biodiversity and conservation 2022-03, Vol.31 (3), p.871-894
• Main Authors: González-Fernández, Andrea, Segarra, Joel, Sunny, Armando, Couturier, Stephane
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Biodiversity; Biological diversity conservation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Buffer zones; Clearcutting; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Coniferous forests; Conservation Biology/Ecology; Decision trees; Deforestation; Earth resources technology satellites; Ecology; Forest and plantation biodiversity; Forest harvesting; Forest practices; Harvesting; Imagery; Landsat; Life Sciences; National parks; National parks and reserves; Original Paper; Protected areas; Protection; Protection and preservation; Remote sensing; Volcanoes; Vulnerability; Zonation
• ISSN: 0960-3115; 1572-9710
• DOI: 10.1007/s10531-022-02368-y

In 2013, the protection status of the Nevado de Toluca Volcano was changed from National Park to a less restrictive category. Much controversy has arisen surrounding this decision as the new category allows forest harvesting practices in most of the natural protected area. We assessed the forest cover loss in the Nevado de Toluca protected area and a 20 km buffer zone around it, before and after the change in protection status, and we established a map of forest types in view of assessing biodiversity vulnerability to the protection change in the forest harvesting areas. The forest type classification was carried out applying a Random Forest algorithm to Sentinel-2 imagery. The forest cover loss was assessed using the Landsat-based Global Forest Watch product during the period 2001–2019. Forest cover loss increased after the change of the Nevado de Toluca protection status; 39.7 hectares/year (± 16.7 ha/year) between 2001 and 2013 versus 106.0 hectares/year (± 40.2 ha/year) between 2014 and 2019. Clear-cut deforestation occurred in 49.6 hectares during year 2018. According to our forest map, 7171 ha (54.8%) of the Abies religiosa forest and 6511 ha (32.5%) of the pine forests of the Nevado de Toluca protected area are inside the forest harvesting zonation. Also, forest cover loss around the natural protected area has increased, especially in 2018, indicating that allowing forest harvesting practices in the natural protected area has not reduced the pressure in the surrounding forests either. We ponder the consequences of the category change and give some suggestions for the future of the forests in the Nevado de Toluca protected area.