Gustavo Ybarra / WWF
	The pine forests are distributed from Chihuahua to Chiapas, in Mexico.

A large diversity of forest types cover 64.5 million hectares of Mexico , representing 33% of the national territory. The forests are valued for their high biodiversity, production of numerous economic benefits, as critical sources of well-being for many communities, and as depositories of ancestral knowledge about natural resources.

The temperate pine, oak and fir forests are generally found in the mountains at higher elevations. Mexico is a center of diversity for both pines and oaks, with more than 50% of the world's pine species and over 150 oak species. A great diversity of other species live in these forests, including black bears, maroon-fronted parrots and monarch butterflies.

The cloud forests are found in areas with high rainfall in the middle elevations and are quite restricted in distribution. Characteristic species of this forest type include tree ferns, epiphytes the resplendant quetzal and the unique horned guan.

The tropical dry forests are distributed mostly along the Pacific slope lowlands and in the northern Yucatan peninsula. They contain a large quantity of endemic species and provide habitat for jaguars, iguanas, Gila monster and military macaws. The tropical humid forests have largely disappeared from the coastal planes and only exist in 10% of their original area. This complex and diverse ecosystem is home to tapirs, howler and spider monkeys, a large variety of parrots, toucans and the spectacular harpy eagle.

Despite the diversity, Mexico 's forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. The annual rate of forest loss is estimated between 300,000 and 1.5 million hectares (see more information on deforestation). As a result, a large number of species are threatened with extinction and many have been locally extirpated. The human activities that are directly responsible for much of this destruction and forest degradation are:

The Monarch Butterfly In 2000, WWF contributed to the extension of the protected area dedicated to wintering colonies of monarch butterflies ( Danaus plexippus ) in the states of Michoacán and Mexico from 16,110 to 56,259 hectares. WWF   Considering the needs of the local communities, WWF and the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature (FMCN) designed an economic support mechanism called the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund. This fund allots financial resources to communities that manage and conserve their forests for monarch habitat. WWF and the Monarch Butterfly The Monarch Butterfly Regional Forum

• Conversion to agriculture, cattle ranches, fires and infrastructure projects causing fragmentation and loss of habitat;


• Unregulated and illegal logging, hunting and illegal trafficking of fauna;


• Infestation by invasive species;


• Air and water pollution

Although we can see some of these impacts directly, the underlying causes of forest ecosystem loss are generally social, economic and political in nature. The consequences of the "merma" and degradation of forests includes:

• Loss of unique biodiversity


• Dammage to fresh water ecosystems and hydrologic processes


• Reduction of environmental services


• Persistence of the cycle of poverty