Each July Arbor Day and Forest Month is commemorated in the country, with the objective of making people aware of the importance of trees in our lives, since they intervene in the ecological, social, and economic spheres.
According to the United Nations, the world loses 10 million hectares of forest each year, and land degradation affects almost 2 billion hectares.
The Government of Jalisco recognizes the actions in favor of forest conservation and implementation of good management practices, and promotes the recovery of forests and sustainable production to stop climate change and deforestation. The Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development (SEMADET,) through the Trust for the Administration of the Forest Development Program of the State of Jalisco (FIPRODEFO,) and as part of the Jalisco with Forests program, coordinates actions with producers, owners, and possessors of forestland.
One of the strategies for the conservation of forest ecosystems is the Payment of Environmental Services scheme. Under this concept the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR,) and FIPRODEFO grant economic incentives for the maintenance of forest cover, through which environmental goods and services can be obtained that these ecosystems provide.
The works that the forest owners, possessors, and producers carry out under this concept of support are, to name a few, fencing for the exclusion of livestock, determining the area under conservation, reforestation, management of forest fuels, soil retention works, community monitoring of wildlife, forest health actions, integration of surveillance patrols, and tours of the benefited areas.
With this support, FIPRODEFO has allocated 6,798,000 thousand pesos to 10 ejidos and 6 indigenous communities in the municipalities of Autlán de Navarro, Casimiro Castillo, Chimaltitán, Huejuquilla el Alto, Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos, Mascota, Mezquitic, Mixtlán, Poncitlán, Puerto Vallarta, Talpa de Allende and Tolimán. More than 8,000 hectares of ecosystems of mainly pine, pine-oak, sub-deciduous forest, and low-deciduous forest are protected.
Jalisco has a forest area of 4,850,337.4 hectares, with 14 types of vegetation, among them are conifers, conifers and broadleaf, broadleaf, mesophilic forest, mangrove, high and medium forests, low forests, arid areas and semi-arid areas.