https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/281359459_DRAFT_Conservation_of_biodiversity_in_Mexico_ecoregions_sites_a nd_conservation_targets_Synthesis_of_identification_and_priority_setting_exercises_092000_ -_BORRADOR_Conservacion_de_la_biodiversidad_en_ CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY IN MÉXICO: ECOREGIONS, SITES AND CONSERVATION TARGETS SYNTHESIS OF IDENTIFICATION AND PRIORITY SETTING EXERCISES DRAFT Juan E. Bezaury Creel, Robert W. Waller, Leonardo Sotomayor, Xiaojun Li, Susan Anderson , Roger Sayre, Brian Houseal The Nature Conservancy Mexico Division and Conservation Science and Stewardship September 2000 With support from the United States Agency for Internacional Development (USAID) through the Parks in Peril Program and the Goldman Fund ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dra. Laura Arraiga Cabrera - CONABIO Mike Beck - The Nature Conservancy Mercedes Bezaury Díaz - George Mason High School Tim Boucher - The Nature Conservancy Eduardo Carrera - Ducks Unlimited de México A.C. Dr. Gonzalo Castro - The World Bank Dr. Gerardo Ceballos- Instituto de Ecología UNAM Jim Corven - Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences / WHSRN Patricia Díaz de Bezaury Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra - San Diego Museum of Natural History Dr. Arturo Gómez Pompa - University of California, Riverside Larry Gorenflo - The Nature Conservancy Biol. David Gutierrez Carbonell - Comisión Nal. de Áreas Naturales Protegidas Twig Johnson - World Wildlife Fund Joe Keenan - The Nature Conservancy Danny Kwan - The Nature Conservancy / Wings of the Americas Program Heidi Luquer - Association of State Wetland Managers S. Keith McKnight - Ducks Unlimited Inc. Brad Northrup - The Nature Conservancy María Pandal - The Nature Conservancy Joe Quiroz - The Nature Conservancy Yelina Reyes - Instituto Nacional de Ecología - SEMARNAP Lorenzo Rosenzwieg- Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza Meg Symington - World Wildlife Fund Dr. Jorge Soberón Mainero - CONABIO Paul White - United States Agency for International Development 2 INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION Development of a National Conservation Blueprint for Mexico Construction of an Ecoregionally Based National Portfolio for Mexico Identification and Prioritization of Biodiversity in Mexico Mexico a Megadiverse Country 2. ECOREGIONAL PRIORITIES 2.1.1 Terrestrial Ecoregional Exercises Biodiversity Support Program The Word Bank - WWF WWF The Global 200 WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America CI Hotspots 2.1.2 Terrestrial Ecoregional Exercises Comparative Analysis 2.2.1 Freshwater Ecoregional Exercises Biodiversity Support Program WWF Freshwater Ecoregions of North America 2.2.2 Freshwater Ecoregional Exercises Comparative Analysis 2.3.1 Marine Ecoregional Exercises Biodiversity Support Program 2.3.2 Marine Ecoregional Exercises Comparative Analysis 2.4.1 Mangrove Ecoregional Exercises WWF Conservation Assessment of Mangrove Ecosystems 2.4.2 Mangrove Ecoregional Exercises Comparative Analysis 2.5 Final Ecoregional Status Rank 2.6 North America’s Most Ecologically Significant Regions 3. CONSERVATION TARGET PRIORITIES 3.1.1 State Level Biological Diversity Conservation Targets 3.1.2 State Level Biological Diversity Cons. Targets Analysis 3.2 National Level Select Biogroups Conservation Targets 3.2.1 Birds Birdlife International, Key Areas for Threatened Birds Birdlife International, Endemic Bird Areas CIPAMEX-CONABIO, Important Bird Areas DUMAC, Clasified Wetlands Inventory Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network 3 DUMAC, Mexican Shorebird Conservation Plan (Draft) CIPAMEX, CONABIO, FMCN, CCA Important Bird Areas TNC, Conservation Priority Setting for Birds in Latin America SEMARNAP, Species at Risk Official Mexican Norm 3.2.2 Mammals Instituto de Ecología - UNAM (Ceballos et al.) SEMARNAP, Species at Risk Official Mexican Norm 3.2.3 Other Animal Groups SEMARNAP, Species at Risk Official Mexican Norm (Reptiles, Amphibians, Fish and Invertebrates) 3.2.4 Vegetation WWF-IUCN, Centres of Plant Diversity. World Resources Institute, The Last Frontier Forests The Nature Conservancy Vegetation Type/Protected Area Gap Analysis CONABIO-UNAM, Mexican Flora: Richness and Endemism CIPAMEX - Sierra Madre Occidental, old growth forests SEMARNAP, Official Mexican Norm for Species at Risk (Plants and Fungi) 3.2.5 National Level Select Biogroups Cons. Targets Analysis 4. SITE PRIORITIES 4.1.1 CONABIO Priority Regions Terrestrial Freshwater Marine Composite Priorities 4.1.2 CONABIO Priority Regions Analysis 4.2.1 Site Identification and Priority Setting Exercises The Conservation Foundation - Mainly Terrestrial Secretaría de Desarrollo Social - Mainly Terrestrial World Wildlife Fund - Freshwater Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, The World Bank, IUCN - Coastal Marine World Wildlife Fund - Coastal Marine Wetlands International/WWF - Coastal Marine RAMSAR Convention on Wetlands - Wetlands Conservación Internacional - Wetlands 4.2.2 Site Identification and Priority Setting Comparison Tables 4.3 Ecoregional Level Plans or Select Ecoregional Priorities TNC - Sonoran Desert Terrestrial Ecoregion TNC - Northern Gulf of Mexico Coastal Marine Ecoregion CIPAMEX - Sierra Madre Occidental, old growth forests 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNEX I Changes made to WWF 1998, Sullivan y Bustamante 1999 and Olson et al. 1998 ecoregions for this synthesis. 4 DEVELOPMENT OF A NATIONAL CONSERVATION BLUEPRINT FOR MEXICO In recent years a consensus has emerged within the international conservation community about the importance of planning and working at larger geographic scales to conserve biodiversity. Responding to these developments in conservation science and to the organization’s own experiences in implementing landscape-scale projects, in 1996 The Nature Conservancy adopted the ecoregional approach and conservation goal outlined in Conservation by Design: A Framework for Mission Success (TNC 1997). Translating the vision set forth by the Conservation Framework into on-the-ground results in Latin America and the Caribbean represents special challenges. One of the greatest challenges in this case, is assembling an Ecoregionally based Conservation Blueprint. Since it is not realistic to create over the short term an Ecoregionally based Conservation Blueprint for Latin America and the Caribbean, due mainly to: the large number of ecoregions within the region; an unequal knowledge of conservation targets between different countries; the limited technical and financial resources that can be channeled to integrate the ecoregional portfolios; and, the urgency for conservation action in the region, a Nationally based Conservation Blueprint approach is being developed. The Nationally based Conservation Blueprint approach being experimented for The Conservancy’s Mexico Division is based on a three pronged approach: ecoregional priorities and site priorities, within an identifiable conservation targets component. At the Ecoregional Level, an analysis of all previous ecoregional priority setting exercises was carried out, in order to determine the ranking of each ecoregion within the country. Out of this exercise a three level ranking system of “Mexico’s National Ecoregional Portfolio” was developed, including all terrestrial, marine, mangrove and freshwater ecoregions contained within its borders. Since the results of most of the ecoregional priority setting exercises analyzed were developed by using experts opinion and in order to be able to capture more specific conservation targets, an analysis of existing vertebrate and plant State level data was further utilized and compared with an evaluation of “TNC’s Current Country Ecoregional Portfolio”, along with a feasibility analysis for TNC’s possibility to effectively work in the different States in order to generate “TNC’s Priority Country Ecoregions Portfolio”, which together will integrate “TNC’s Country Ecoregional Portfolio”. At the Site Level the approach to the integration of “Mexico’s National Site Portfolio” was achieved through the inclusion of: select Federal and State protected areas with importance towards the protection of biodiversity; CONABIO’s terrestrial, marine and freshwater priority regions; and, areas identified through previous priority exercises. In order to include identifiable conservation targets, select biogroups targets were identified (birds, mammals and vegetation, including a gap analysis of remaining vegetation types surface area in 1996, in relation to existing protected areas). The CONABIO and biogroups information was further utilized to evaluate “TNC’s Country Current Site Portfolio”, which together with priority sites to carry out future work, chosen within “TNC’s Country Ecoregional Portfolio” for their biodiversity, leverage and feasibility, will integrate “TNC’s Country Site Portfolio”. The following table schematizes the above outlined three pronged approach, used to in the construction of Ecoregionally Based National Sites and Target Portfolios. TNC’s Ecoregional, Sites and Target Country Portfolios for Mexico, are not dealt with in this document and are developed in “Annex I - Developing a Conservation Blueprint for a Sites & Partners Ecoregional System structure in Mexico”, of The Conservancys Mexico Mexico Division, Mexico Country Program 2001-2005: 5 CONSTRUCTION OF AN ECOREGIONALLY BASED NATIONAL PORTFOLIO FOR MEXICO ECOREGIONAL LEVEL TERRESTRIAL Ecoregional Exercises Experts (BSP, World Bank, Global 200, CI, WWF) Opinion Experts + FRESHWATER Ecoregional Exercises (BSP, Global 200, WWF) Opinion Experts + MARINE Ecoregional Exercises (BSP, GBRMPA-World Bank, Global 200) Opinion Experts PRIORITIES