Ecology and Man in Mexico's Central Volcanoes Area, 2003

The main activities of the economically active population around The Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl volcanoes region lie in the primary sector (65- 90%). Of the people working in this sector, those dependent on agricultural or pastoral activities generally have an income significantly lower than the minimum wage in Mexico. Of the activities in the area, these agricultural, pastoral, and forestry activities probably have the most direct effect on the ecology of the volcanoes and its immediate surroundings. Traditional farmers, producing crops such as beans, pumpkins and cucumbers, generally work on small fields using traditional methods and animal traction. Modern farming, geared towards intensive production develops on larger sites making use of modern machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides. As the area under agriculture continues to increase every year, the attendant opening of large forested areas, soil modification, and ensuing erosion make it almost impossible for forest recovery. Extensive forestry in the region mainly concerns cutting and collecting wood, cutting Pinus-branches for torches or for utensils for open-fire cooking, collection of mushrooms, and hunting. Although these (often clandestine) activities seem to be small-scale, their adverse effects on the forest have been substantial. Weekend visitors from Mexico City heavily dominate recreation, with tourism concentrated near the roads leading to and inside the park. Lacking organization and facilities, most recreational activities have had significant environmental impact on the area In many countries, the decline of nature has occurred because of changes in land use.

Preface Mexico’s central volcanoes area: an introduction, Roland Bobbink and Gerrit W. Heil Classification and mapping of the vegetation using field observations and remote sensing, Nuri Trigo Boix, Aurora Chimal-Hernández, Gerrit W. Heil, Roland Bobbink, and Betty Verduyn Man-induced changes in vegetation cover in the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl Region, Gerrit W. Heil, Roland Bobbink, and Betty Verduyn Birds of the Iztaccíhuatl-Popocatépetl National Park and their significance for ecotourism, Alejandro Meléndez-Herrada, Nuri Trigo Boix and Aurora Chimal-Hernández Effects of habitat fragmentation on the mammalian assemblage at the Iztaccíhuatl and Popocatépetl Volcanoes, Mexico, Alejandro Velázquez, Francisco J. Romero, Héctor Rangel-Cordero, and Gerrit W. Heil Dynamics of plant communities in the Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park, Gerrit W. Heil Remote Sensing biomass of forested ecosystems: Modelling the carbon cycle of the Iztaccíhuatl –Popocatépetl National Park, Mexico, Gerrit W. Heil, Roland Bobbink, Nuri Trigo Boix, and Betty Verduyn Strategic Planning of the Iztaccíhuatl–Popocatépetl National Park, Juan Manuel Chávez Cortés, Marta M. Chávez Cortés, Gilberto S. Binnqüist Cervantes, Iván Roldán Aragón, Euridice Leyequien Abarca, Gerardo Romano Delon Ecology and Man: Synthesis, Gerrit W Heil, Roland Bobbink, and Nuri Trigo Boix Index