Identifying priority areas for Forest Landscape Restoration in Chiapas (Mexico): An operational approach combining ecological and socioeconomic criteria

Abstract

The degradation of forest resources is a global issue and represents a considerable threat to both the functioning of ecosystems and the well-being of human communities. The recently introduced Forest Landscape Restoration approach focuses on building up a forest-based landscape that can improve biodiversity conservation, ecological functioning and the livelihoods of human communities. Reforestation, when properly planned, can mitigate the effects of the degradation process, protect biodiversity and enhance the provision of forest goods and services. To this purpose a sound identification of priority reforestation sites is fundamental. This study introduces a GIS-based methodology to identify reforestation priorities, design a number of landscape-scale reforestation options and evaluate them with respect to a set of ecological and socioeconomic criteria. The prioritisation is based on two main non-compensatory factors: the need for biodiversity conservation and the ecological feasibility of reforestation. Suitability maps are generated for both factors through spatial multicriteria analysis and threshold pairs used to extract priority areas. The minimum suitability levels and the total area to be reforested are used as input parameters to generate a finite number of resulting reforestation options. These are assessed for their ability to conserve biodiversity and improve living conditions of local communities by introducing additional ecological and socioeconomic criteria. Finally, sensitivity analysis is used to test the robustness of the assessment. The methodology is applied to a case study in western Chiapas (Mexico) where conditions of forest degradation and widespread poverty occur.