Exploitation agricole et protection du milieu tropical montagnard au Chiapas (Mexique). L'exemple d'un système mis en place à Vigurenso

Abstract

Abstract: Chiapas is a forested tropical region divided by two mountainous massifs, the Sierra Madre of Chiapas in the west and the mountains of Central Meseta in the east, which locally reach altitudes of 3 000 metres. Because of rural demographic pressure, the mountainous areas of Central Meseta have been increasingly farmed since the early sixties, even though there are still extensive forested areas. The impact on the natural environment, which is very marked in some areas, has been observed since the very beginning of the eighties. This serious situation, together with international awareness of the need to preserve the region's biodiversity, have led some organisations, such as the FAO, to introduce programmes to protect and regenerate the tropical vegetation of the Chiapas. From 1996 to 1998, the author, who is engaged in a PhD research study into the present anthropisation of the forest in Chiapas, was hired by the associations involved in these programmes to conduct field studies to assess the results of the programmes implemented in Central Meseta, and in particular in the village of Vigurenso, located at an altitude of 2700 metres, about 20 km to the east of Teopisca and 40 km to the south-east of San Cristobal de las Casas. This paper presents the first results of this study.