Land use and land cover change in highland temperate forests in the Izta-Popo National Park, central Mexico

The long-term preservation of national park ecosystems requires scientific knowledge about land use/cover change (LUCC) that influences these ecosystems. LUCC in Mexican temperate mountain forests as depicted in satellite imagery was evaluated for three time intervals: 1970–1980, 1981–1990, and 1991–2000. Forest cover declined at an average rate of 0.35 ha per year due to timber extraction, cultivation, grazing (areas grazed by cattle), and urbanisation processes. Historically, cultivation has resulted in such a high loss of plant communities in lowlands that regional diversity has been threatened. Currently, though, cultivation has been reduced due to a decline in the economic importance of corn and bean crops. By contrast, grazing has increased due to low labour costs and economic policies that provide incentives for cattle production in Mexico. The abandonment of cultivated land due to economic processes may have strong implications on the regeneration of plant communities in temperate forests. Highland temperate forest and subalpine grasslands remain relatively intact due to national park protection, which is essential to maintain species diversity at a regional scale.