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The Sierra Madre of Oaxaca is the southern extreme of the Eastern Sierra Madre, running from the northeast to the southeast of the state and from the Pico de Orizaba in Veracruz through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec . From north to south it takes various names, including the Sierra Mazateca, Sierra Cuicateca, Sierra Chinanteca, Sierra de Ixtlan, Sierra de Juarez and Sierra Mixe. These last three parts comprise what is called the Northern Sierra (Sierra Norte)—the focus of WWF's Sierra Norte Program.
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WWF |
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Location of the Sierra Norte |
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Environment
Book "Voices of the Mountains: Oral Testimonies of the Northern Sierra" |
These testimonies from four Zapotec indigenous communities contain a fascinating compilation of personal stories, information, culture, knowledge, opinion and experience.
These are the voices of individuals on whom depends the development of these communities. They are in the midst of the challenges of the next decade: how to fulfill the national development needs without marginalizing the people of the mountains. From the testimony of a young ecotourism guide to an old woman recounting her personal history, this book showcases a variety of men and women offering their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities of today. |
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There is a great diversity of ecosystems in this very mountainous region. In the lower parts of the western slope, there is scrub and dry forest up to 1000 m above sea level. At about 2000 m elevation, low-stature live oak is found. Above these forests, there are oak forests with a great variety of epiphytes.
At still higher elevations, up to 3400m (Zempoaltepetl and Pelon Peaks ), pine-oak forests dominate. On the eastern slope between 1000 and 2700 m , there is a magnificent cloud forest. These forests grow in high humidity areas with rainfall upwards of 6000 mm per year. They are characterized by a high diversity of species with elements of both tropical and temperate regions. Epiphytes, mosses, lichens, bromeliads, orchids and tree ferns are common here.
Below 1000 m on the eastern slope there are lowland tropical humid forests. Trees in these forests grow up to 60 m tall and house entire communities of organisms in their canopies, including lianas, bromeliads and orchids. The diverse habitats in this forest are home to a rich faunal community. Tropical species such as tapirs, brocket deer, jaguars, monkeys, parrots and toucans mix with temperate species such as mountain lions, white-tailed deer, river otters and endemic birds like the dwarf jay.
The drainages of these mountains on both the eastern and western slopes form one of the country's most important rivers, the Papaloapan. Because of its riches in flora and fauna, the Northern Sierra is one of the WWF Global 200 ecosystems—the 200 most important ecosystems to conserve on the planet. Recent studies have also identified this region as the most diverse in plant species in all of Mesoamerica .
Culture,
Society and Economy
Indigenous communities of Cuicatecs, Chinantecs, Zapotecs and Mixes live in the Sierra Norte. Despite a migratory part of the population, these groups have preserved their languages and traditions while participating in the local, national and international economy. The community structures that determine how decisions are made have been put into place through a combination of consensus and customs. The poverty levels in these communities are high and there are problems with health, nutrition and basic services.
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© Carlos Galindo-Leal / WWF |
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Forest management is one of the principal sources of income in the region. Some communities here have been pioneers in the establishment of social enterprise forestry and certification. Some coffee producers have also been organically certified for international export. Impacts and Threats
The principal impacts and threats to the Sierra Norte ecosystems are:
a) Deforestation in the lowlands
b) Fires
c) Agrarian conflict
d) Cattle grazing in the lowlands
e) Subsistence hunting and illegal trafficking in fauna
f) Development and infrastructure projects (e.g. hydroelectric dams)
WWF Activities
In the last 17 years, WWF has promoted a variety of conservation activities to conserve the natural ecosystems of the Sierra Norte, from the documentation of communal statutes to the proposal of a system of community protected areas and the diversification of economic alternatives. The principal activities supported have focused on the following:
- Training and drawing up of community land-use plans and statutes
- Development and implementation of forest management plans
- Training and support of local technicians in community planning, forest information management, silviculture, ecotourism and protected areas management
- Training and strengthening of forest technicians and consultants
- Promotion and development of ecotourism
- nstitutional strengthening of agrarian authorities, communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs, e.g., Grupo Mesofilo, SERBO).
Currently with the support of USAID and WWF-UK, the WWF Northern Sierra Program has focused on strengthening local capacity in conservation and sustainable forest management and the promotion of institutional coordination with national government agencies such as SEMARNAT and CONAFOR, international ones (JICA, USAID), and NGOs such as CAPLAC, Grupo Mesófilo, and MICHIZA.
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© Edward Parker / WWF |
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Fomento a programas de ecoturismo |
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Successes and Progress
Among the successes and progress WWF has made in the region are:
- Training of community members in conservation, forest management and ecotourism
- Forest certification (through FSC) in various communities
- The building of a network of community protected areas
- Assembly of biological and geographic baseline data
- Publication of the book, “Voices of the Mountains,” with testimonies from local community members
Currently, WWF's Northern Sierra Program is putting together an integrated management strategy for the upper Papaloapan River watershed, combining land-use, management and protection plans of the region's communities. |
