NATIONAL PARKS
National parks, biosphere reserves, ecological reserves, and marine
underwater parks are part of the System of Natural Protected Areas
in Mexico (La Sistema Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas or
Sinap). These areas are managed by the National Ecology Institute
(Instituto Nacional de Ecologia or INE).
National parks are often not the most biologically diverse areas
in Mexico, but they are noteworthy for historical or aesthetic reasons.
The volcanoes are national parks. So are many of the archaeological
sites. National Parks may be created because of the scientific or
historical value, or simply for they are appropriate for tourism
development.
The majority of national parks were created in the 1930s under
the administration of Lazaro Cardenas, who created the Department
of Forestry, Fish and Game, which supervised the designation of
forty parks, based on scenic beauty, recreational potential and
ecological value. Designed by Quevedo, the park system emphasized
Mexico's highland forests.
BIOSPHERE RESERVES
The biosphere reserves are areas of genuine biological diversity.
To qualify, the reserves just have an area greater than 10,000 hectares
with at least one ecosystem not significantly altered by human activity.
These parks are also inhabited by species that are considered to
be endemic, threatened or in danger of extinction. Special Biosphere
Reserves are almost identical, except the size of the park does
not need to be as large. All biosphere reserves have a nucleus zone
as well as a managed use zone around the periphery. New population
centers in the biosphere and special biosphere reserves are strictly
prohibited.
In the beginning of the century, Miguel
Angel de Quevedo argued that tourism in the national parks was
beneficial to both rural Mexicans and international visitors. He
believed that international tourism could promote cooperation among
Mexico and other countries and argued that by creating the national
parks Mexico was becoming "a civilized country."
Mexico also has almost a dozen reserves with special designation
from the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) network. This program
was organized in 1970 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to unite national and international
research, conservation and trainigng activities. Not all of Mexico's
biosphere reserves are part of MAB. Those that are included are
Calakmul, El Cielo, El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar, El Triunfo,
El Vizcaino, Mapimi, Michilia, La Monte Azules, Sian Ka'an and Sierra
de Manantlan
Regardless of their designation, parks are not always protected.
The Lagunas
de Chacahua on the coast of Oaxaca lost 40 percent of its forest.
Parque Nacional El Nevado de Toluca, a volcano is now 75 percent
deforested. Mexico often lacks the needed levels of park guards
and environmental education that will keep these areas green.
Biosphere reserves have three goals: conservation, training, and
sustainable human development compatible with conservation. Unlike
national parks, biosphere reserves allow people to continue to live
in protected natural areas. In addition to biological surveys and
ecological studies, research is encouraged on sustainable resource
use in order to encourage the local community to participate in
protection of the wildlife. Residents hope to benefit from "sustainable
development" including ecotourism.
In the biosphere reserves, Mexico has pioneered the use of a zoning
system that allows use of parks for tourism and economic productivity
and other areas off limits except for scientific study. The idea
was proposed by Mexican scientist Enrique Beltran at the First World
Conference on National Parks held in Seattle in 1962.
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