The National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR,) reports on some relevant results and advances which have been carried out during the 2019-2021 period.
These tasks promote community forest management, ensure payment for environmental services, provide restoration of forest ecosystems, establish commercial forest plantations, and protect against fires, pests and diseases.
During this period, the Government of Mexico has supported the incorporation of 991,301 hectares to active conservation schemes through Payment for Environmental Services (PES,) incorporated 1.85 million hectares to community forest management, developed community land use regulations in 563,000 hectares, established 23,212 hectares of commercial forest plantations, and reforestation actions and forest restoration works carried out on 106,060 hectares. All of these actions have been within the coverage of 3,736 ejidos and communities, representing 24% of the nuclei agrarians of the country that have forest vegetation. For these purposes, 4,101,000,000 pesos have been allocated from subsidies.
In terms of protection against forest fires, a care strategy has been designed that privileges the coordination of actions in the territory between the different institutional actors, with attention to the causes that originate forest fires, as well as the physical, cultural, and legal prevention, and fire management. The foregoing has allowed that, given the atypical and adverse climatic conditions, greater damage to the surface covered by forest vegetation has been avoided.
Regarding forest policy instruments, such as the National Forest Monitoring System, which is made up of the National Forest and Soil Inventory, the Forest Monitoring Satellite System, and the Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification System; relevant results have been obtained, as follows.
The report of the 3rd Cycle of the National Forest and Soil Inventory is being integrated, corresponding to the period 2015-2020 from data collected in the field. This report is estimated to be ready in December 2021.
The annual average gross deforestation rate was estimated for the period 2001-2018, under international standards, likewise the Reference Level of Forest Emissions for the period 2007-2016 was updated, which was submitted to the evaluation of the Framework Convention of United Nations on Climate Change.
Coverage and forest coverage change maps were prepared for five states through the CONAFOR Forest Monitoring Satellite System, scale 1: 75,000, and with an accuracy level greater than 80%.
The National Inventory of Greenhouse Gases and Compounds was integrated in the land sector for its integration into the 3rd Biennial Update Report coordinated and compiled by the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change.
Greenhouse gas mitigation of key CONAFOR programs, such as forest management and payment for environmental services at the national level, was calculated using international standards for reporting in the 3rd Biennial Update Report.
The Government of Mexico, through CONAFOR, reaffirms its commitment to the protection, conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of forest resources for the well-being of the communities that depend on them, as well as for the well-being of society in general.