template

Mexico
Location			North America
National websites			http://www.semarnap.gob.mx/ http://www.conabio.gob.mx/ http://www.ine.gob.mx/ http://www.profepa.gob.mx/
Embassy / Chancery in U.S.			1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
Agencies responsible for biological inventory and conservation		CONABIO contact list: http://www.conabio.gob.mx/conabio/cnb-i-l.htm#directory
Major Natural Resources			Mexico has an extremely rich biodiversity and is likely the 4^th most diverse country in the world. Accordingly, it figures that the animal population of Mexico would be an important resource. This not only includes the hunting value of animals, but the tourism value of animals like gray whales and sea turtles. The land of Mexico is critical to the economy, because of its agricultural production. These lands also produce petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, and timber whose removal and refinement cause soil, air, and water pollution. Mexico also has a rich coastline that contributes hugely to its tourism. This area also produces salt and is a major area for both sport and commercial fishery.
Major Environmental and Conservation Issues			Mexico despite its proximity and close relationship to the United States is still a third world country. Fresh clean water is very difficult to find in the north and in the south the river are polluted by industry. The government constantly struggles to feed and employ its 100 million residents. With so much of Mexican territory being desert or other agriculturally unsuitable land, these residents are jammed together in large cities. The pollution of Mexico City is notorious and is possibly the worst in the entire world. It seems a simple solution to cut back on environmentally destructive industry and pay for clean up measures. However, economic development is key to improving the human condition and the legitimacy of the government. Balancing the development of natural resources including animal, agricultural, and habitat, is difficult against the need for economic growth. This balance is especially difficult on the coast where ! foreign capital and tourists create thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. The US-Mexico border is a major developmental issue, which requires the cooperation of both countries. This effects animals and habitat on both side of the border.
Statistics						Information Sources
Land area			1,958,201 sq. km			WCMC
Area of forest			670,675 sq. km			WCMC
Area of territorial waters			209,000 sq. km
Population			98,552,776 (July 1998 est.)
Population Density			45 people /Sq. km
Area protected			26,162 sq. km
Fraction of land area protected (%)			3.9%
Major Protected Areas			List of Protected Areas: Map of Protected Areas			http://www.ine.gob.mx/ucanp/listaanpcate.html http://www.wcmc.org.uk/forest/data/cdrom2/cam_for.htm
Biological Inventory Clickable Map of Mammals’ Habitats
Ecosystem Diversity Map of Ecosystems
Endemic Species			Mammals	142 Mammals
			Birds	111 Birds
			Reptiles	368 Reptiles
			Amphibians	174 Amphibians
			Fish	163 Fish
			Invertebrates	5550 Invertebrates
			Plants	9670 Plants

Extinct Species			Mammals	9 Mammals			World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants
			Birds	10 Birds
			Amphibians	1 Amphibians
			Fish	23 Fish
			Plants	15 Plants

			Mammals	64 Mammals
			Birds		36 Aves
Threatened Species			Reptiles	18 rept.htm			World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Animal http://www.wcmc.org.uk/species/plants/geographic_table.htm World Conservation Monitoring Centre - Plants
			Amphibians	3 amph.htm
			Fish	86
			Invertebrates	40
			Plants	1593 (6.1%)


Species listed on CITES Appendix I			cites1.htm
Species listed on CITES Appendix II			cites2.htm
Legislation	Links to Various NGOs
Laws protecting endangered or threatened species			General Law for Environmental Equilibrium and Protection of the Environment: (LGEEPA)
Laws protecting endangered ecosystems			((LGEEPA) General Mexican Environmental Policy
Signatory to CITES			9/30/1991
Signatory to Ramsar Wetlands Convention			7/1986
Signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity			12/3/1992
Signatory to Migratory Bird Treaty			2/16/1988
Member of International Whaling Commission			12/2/1946
Signatory to other international treaties designed to protect or manage biological resources			List of All Environmental Agreements Signed by Mexico
Natural Resource Use							Information Sources
Fisheries			1.6 million metric tons (1997)
Forestry			8,809.8 million pesos
Ecotourism			1,916 million pesos				Ecotourism Ecotourism Slide Show
Trade in wildlife products			Fauna: 24 million pesos
			Flora: 200 million pesos

Hunting			Legal Hunting: 127 million pesos
			Illegal Hunting: 2-3x value of legal hunting
Other uses of natural resources
Human Impacts on Natural Resources							Information Sources
Air pollution			Natural Resources impacted by air pollution by zone				Air Pollution Legislation and Standards
Water pollution			Air Pollution Legislation and Standards				Water Law
Industrial Pollution Regulation			http://www.ine.gob.mx/retc/aplicacion/previene.html				Chemical Importations by Major Companies
Development activities			Marine Turtle Gray Whale San Ignacio Salt Development San Quintin Bay Salt Plant				Government Development Effects Studies
Introduced species			Programs for Introduced Species Eradication
Legislation addressing these issues			Mexican Environmental Code
Restoration and Reintroduction							Information Sources
Programs for restoration of damaged habitat			Searchable List of Threatened Areas				Clickable Map of Threatened Areas
Programs for ex situ conservation (captive breeding and reintroduction) of endangered species			Conservation and Reintroduction Programs (At Bottom of Page)

Return to Endangered Species Protection around the World

Page compiled by Paul Williamson as part of a class project in h90 "The Science of Biodiversity and Conservation" (Peter J. Bryant, Instructor), University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA