The timber industry in Northern Mexico: social, economic, and environmental impacts

Mexico has been ranked 7th in the world in terms of plant biodiversity in its intact forest ecosystems. It is also the world’s second largest paper producer, and estimates indicate that well over half of Mexico’s forests have been lost. According to some officials, there will be no forests left by 2050 if current trends continue. The northern state of Chihuahua has more hectares of trees than any other state in Mexico. Most of these trees can be found in the mountainous region known as the Sierra Tarahumara. As the pace of logging has accelerated in recent decades and international companies increasingly eye the area’s rich forest resources, concern over both the environmental and social impacts of logging is mounting. This month, borderlines publishes a condensed version of a pending report on the situation by the Texas Center for Policy Studies (TCPS) and the Comisión de Solidaridad y Defensa de Derechos Humanos, A.C. (COSYDDHAC)