A first – and hard – look at restoring Mexico’s terrestrial ecosystems

Mexico is home to vast biological and cultural diversity, alongside a robust legal framework and body of research on biological conservation. Yet, the country has lost a quarter of its primary forests in the past 25 years, and half of its territory shows signs of either degradation or desertification.

Until recently, there had been no comprehensive analysis of legislative and applied research efforts’ impacts on ecological restoration initiatives. To address this gap, researchers from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and partners conducted a study that’s the first of its kind, examining 75 restoration programs encompassing more than 1.5 million hectares countrywide.  It looks into the successes, lessons learned, and research and development gaps and will serve to inform a national restoration plan being developed by the Mexican government. Read the full story on Forests News.