The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group is leading efforts by local inhabitants to preserve and restore forests and other plant species, the wildlife and soil, and to prevent and restore damage from forest fires. This is enriching the biodiversity and allowing natural resources to regenerate naturally. (Right: children receive tree seedlings for planting.)
Some 3 million trees have been planted and many forest areas have been restored in the past 12 years. Approximately 3,700 acres (1,500 hectares) of land has been reforested. Approximately 1,480 acres (600 hectares) of mature woods and another 1,480 acres of naturally regenerating forest have been purchased for protection as forest preserves that act as "carbon sinks," cleansing the air of carbon dioxide. More than 3,900 feet (1,087 meters) of check dams and nearly nine miles (14,332 meters) of ground terraces have been constructed to protect the soil.
The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group reforestation program delivers seedling trees, free of charge, to some 250 small-property owners/producers from state-run nurseries. Approximately 300,000 seedling trees are planted each year on 741 acres (300 hectares) of land throughout the region, under the supervision of forestry workers. This has created about 700 tree plantations of different ages during the past year. Maintenance clearings have been established on 692 acres (280 hectares) of natural forest that is being allowed to regenerate.
To promote the program, landowners are provided with fencing materials to protect the plantations from cattle, and one-third of the cost of the manual labor needed for reforestation and maintenance. Fencing allows a forest to begin regenerating within three years. Follow-up measures include yearly maintenance of the fencing, and cultivation of tree plantations.
Sierra Gorda Ecology Group supervisors and state government officials are inspecting and evaluating how the cultivation of 1,430 acres (580 hectares) in natural forest regeneration zones is managed – selectively clearing them and monitoring the new growth conditions.
They keep a careful log of the number of seedlings that have been delivered and planted, and conduct inspections to confirm that the seedlings have taken root. Those that have not survived are replaced. The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group coordinates training and the improvement of forest management standards by obtaining project equipment, and contracting for an evaluation of forest management practices by the Forest Stewardship Council.
When combined with the sustainable management of natural resources (such as the selective thinning of timber resources and selective harvesting of other renewable, native species), these conservation efforts also help create jobs. Families are finding that it is much more profitable over the long run to plant and harvest trees than to continue with the destructive subsistence farming methods of the past. This helps build a stronger, more sustainable economy in the short run, and valuable forest resources in the long run – while reversing exploitative land usage practices.
The primary purpose of reforestation is to restore the native vegetation, but the Sierra Gorda Ecology Group also is designing a self-financing strategy to establish 5,000 acres (2,024 hectares) of commercial, high-yield native tree species that will form the basis of a sustainable timber industry. In any year, an individual may harvest only as many trees as she or he planted at least eight years earlier, so as to restore and conserve mature forests as a sanctuary for plants and wildlife. Trees that provide wildlife habitat are favored for planting, and the result is an ever-expanding, regenerated forest.
While new forests are being planted and old forest areas permitted to regenerate, the establishment of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve has also brought surveillance by police and the army to prevent rampant illegal logging.
Fighting Fires
Forest fires are a growing threat due to dry weather conditions and changing climatic conditions (El Nino, global warming trends and deforestation may all be contributing factors). Last year more than 70 square
miles (17,500 hectares) burned after an unusual frost and months of drought, exacerbated by a lack of funds and personnel.
The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group works to restore fire damaged zones in coordination with government agencies. It has helped establish fire-fighting brigades and fire prevention vigilance, as well as wildlife stewardship by community members in order to protect and maintain both existing old-growth forests and new tree plantations.
This has required fire-fighting brigades in each critical zone of the Sierra Gorda, as well as sensitizing communities to the need to report crimes against the forest and its wildlife. There efforts will be supported by 40 accredited rangers who will maintain surveillance throughout the region.
Wildlife
The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group has organized a "vigilance" network to protect wildlife, forests and tree plantations by reporting illegal activities to the proper authorities. This is a way to resist illegal activities such as deforestation and poaching by bird catchers who come from outside the Sierra Gorda.
Meetings with community residents and local government representatives have raised awareness about the value of protecting the region's plant and animal species, building greater participation by children and adults in the surveillance network. The Sierra Gorda Ecology Group
has been building support for wildlife protection efforts through the news media (TV, radio, and newspapers) and government authorities.
Activities include the filing of 160 reports of illegal environmental acts; operation of two check points to search for illegal poaching, hunting weapons, and plant collecting; inventorying butterflies; monitoring bird populations; and reintroducing 25 wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). Important indicators of the success of this program include the increasing number of reports of illegal poaching activities, a considerable increase in the care and attention shown by the communities towards wildlife, and the recuperation of endangered populations such as the puma and white tail deer. The men who used to come to the Sierra Gorda to capture wild birds have been discouraged from poaching by local residents.
"It was so sad to feel the vibration of those birds that were just caught, in the cages."
[Transcript]
