ECO TRAVELS IN MEXICO

Mexico's Environmental Tourism Quiz

In researching environmental issues and tourism in Mexico, I find myself stumped on the most basic questions. Or I have some answers, but I'd like to double check them. So I'm offering a public quiz! These are the issues that will be incorporated in the guidebook I'm writing on environmental tourism.

This may be an interesting exercise - In January, 1997 I posted this list on ELAN and will later on the Planeta.com website. Answers will also be posted online - and updated throughout 1997. In most of the questions that follow, I think the answers will depend on source and point of view. (Also, if you don't have web access and would like me to email you the ecotourism bibligraphy, list of environmental contacts or other resources, let me know)

This page is part of the Planeta.com website (http://www.planeta.com), which has a variety of information on environmental conservation and nature-based tourism in Mexico. For more information about nature travel in Mexico, be sure to take a look at the guidebook, Mexico: Adventures in Nature by Ron Mader.

The Questions by themselves are on a separate page.

Ron Mader, Webhost
Planeta.com

Tourism:

David Barkin writes:

Offical answer - $5-6 billion; in reality a lot less because of the high import coefficient of these activities and remission of profits!

According to 1996 SECTUR figures, seventh.

Maria Araujo writes:

Tamaulipas is important to Texas and U.S. birders because it offers an opportunity to see birds from the U.S. in their winter habitat as well as to observe migrants from the tropics that do not reach Texas. The tropical forest of El Cielo Biosphere Reserve and the coastal areas are prime birding sites in Tamaulipas.

"In 1991, 4 million Texas residents 16 years old and older spent $877,749,000 observing, feeding, or photographing wildlife. These wildlife recreationists spent another $423,218,000 traveling to observe wildlife that same year."

"Nature tourism is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry, averaging a 30 percent annual increase each year since 1987. Worldwide nature tourism sales totaled $238 billion in 1994."

How are local environmental travel providers promoted by the tourism secretariat (SECTUR)?

Which areas does the environmental secretariat (SEMARNAP) promote for environmental tourism? What are the best means to visit these areas?

Are there independent organizations or associations that promote environmental tourism?

What are the best means of financing environmental tourism?

Is the AMTAVE association helpful to either ecotravelers or to service providers?

What are interesting state or local environmental tourism projects?

Pronatura Veracruz writes:

Pronatura is running birding tours every year, but it depends on infrastructure like hotels and restaurants and in all reality we aren't in pristine nature conditions at all. We are just now initiating tours to the Valley of Uxpanapa, in southern Veracruz, where the last vast regions of tropical forest in our state can be found. We will be doing true ecotourism there, looking to find economic benifit for the area, the people and of course Pronatura conservation projects. We plan on working closely with Far Flung Rafting and Adventure company, who have a minimal impact policy with the environment.

Environment

Tim Burford writes:

Officially 300,000 ha are deforested per year, and just 25,000-100,000ha reforested, but actual deforestation is nearer 1.5m ha per year. Over half the Lacandon Jungle has been lost since 1980 to logging and cattle-grazing, despite much of it being officially protected.

600,000-1,000000 has/yr

One source that would answer many of your statistical questions--authoritatively if not necessarily definitively--is a report issued in 1995 by the national statistical institute INEGI (described in a recent newspaper article as one of the few competent agencies in the Mexican government). It's called Estadisticas del Medio Ambiente, Mexico, 1994 and is a 450 page compendium of environmental statistics from a variety of sources.

The book also has some statistics on forests, though from a 1980 survey. It separates forests by major type into those "in process of degradation" and those "without apparent disturbance". You might be able to get the book at a university library. Also INEGI has a homepage, and the CEC in Montreal is doing a state of the environment report and might have the national reports online. The librarian, Marcos Silva, was very helpful when I visited and indicated that they are emphasizing electronic media in the library.

David Barkin writes:

Gigantic

Ron Mader writes:

Linares, Tuxtla Gutierrez and Puero Morelos

Which areas that currently are not officially protected should receive that designation?

Pronatura Veracruz writes:

The valley of Uxpanapa, the remenant tropical forests surrounding San Andres Tuxtlas and Catemaco area, Coyutla in Northern Veracruz near Papantla.

What are Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Greenpeace projects/budgets for environmental conservation and protection?

Why don't the international groups work together or in the same area? Should they?

What are the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) projects in Mexico?

Are there other foundation/environmental group projects in Mexico?

Who are foundations and groups accountable to?

Mexico City

What is the figure on a daily basis?

How much of Mexico City's water comes from acquifers and how much is pumped uphill?

Tim Burford writes:

As its population has exploded, the water table has dropped by 32m, and the city itself has subsided by 7m since 1940; some parts are still sinking by 40cm/year. The city currently uses 63.5 cubic metres/second, 80% of it groundwater (double the natural recharge rate), and this is expected to be 100 cubic metres/second by 2000.

The other 20% of the city's water comes, at great cost, from the Lerma and Cutzamala rivers, 100km to the west and 1000m below. 350,000 toilet cisterns have been replaced by smaller models, saving enough water for 250,000 people, but much more needs to be done. As for waste water, in 1900 the Gran Canal del Desagua or Great Sewage Canal was driven through the hills to the north, but as the city sank gravity ceased to do the job and eleven pumping stations had to be built. Now the Sistema de Drenaje Profundo (Deep Drainage System) is being built, with 120km in use and another 30km needed by the end of the century.

Policy

NGOs

Francisco Chapela writes:

To formally recognize an asociacion civil, it needs to (1) register it's constitution act (2) ask for a permit from the ministry of foreign affairs (secretaria de relaciones exteriores) (3) register at the Secretaria de Hacienda to pay taxes

Asociaciones Civiles (AC) are any kind of citizens organization gathered for a defined licit pourpose. Most private schools are AC, foot ball or baseball teams are AC, the Boy Scouts are AC. Most NGOs are legally constituted ACs in Mexico.

Depending on the nature of its activities, ACs have different politic and tax status. They can be for-profit or non-profit, with employees or formed by activists or members, etc.

David Barkin writes:

All of the above

Mexican NGOs have served as conduits for social concerns, and have been very scantly funded. This is the -very different- case of the 100 international group or Greenpeace mexico. They are only very few people, with almost no staff or facilities, but expressing concerns from a broad social sector. So the main problem with NGOs is to overcome the political constraints to express diverse points of view, and not to account for monies.

Francisco Chapela writes:

This is a complex question. For example, WWF, WRI, IUCN or Greenpeace have partnerships with mexican NGOs. Environmentalist activism in Mexico have had moral, ideological and in some instances financial support from these environmental groups.

A recent analysis of the agendae of mexican NGOs, have shown that -in one way or another- the relationship with the US is at the top priority: migratory birds, pollution at the border zone, trade of (certified) commodities, preservation of natural sites of importance for US tourists, and so on. Is this assistance or cooptation? what is here: a very high level of communication so NGOs at both sides of the border agree on the priorities? or we are witnessing the surge of a kind of "non-gov. imperialism"?. It is very difficult to say.

GOs

What is the federal-state relation in park management?

Ron Mader writes:

Review the comments made at a May 1995 conference on Border Parks

Culture

Ron Mader writes:

One of the best presentations of protected areas in Mexico is a series of beer commercials for Corona.

Radio UNAM writes:

"El Milenio Por Venir", que patrocina la Fundacion Frederich Ebert, con Federico Gaxiola. Se transmite los viernes, en Amplitud Modulada, de de 10:30 a 11:30 de la maņana.

The environmental group INAINE has a radio program in Mexico City.

Other Planeta.com Resources

Mexican Environmental Travel Contacts
Spanish Language Schools in Mexico
Read All About It: Mexican Publications

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