Response indicators

Federal terrestrial protected natural areas

The creation of protected natural areas (PNA) is one of the most widely used policy strategies for environmental conservation (UICN and PNUMA, 1990). PNAs aim at protecting the flora and fauna, environmental services, natural resources of special importance and ecosystems representative of a region or country (Dudley, 2008), so the Number and size of federal terrestrial protected natural areas directly reflects government efforts to safeguard biodiversity and services provided by natural ecosystems (GESAMP, 1995, UNCSD, 1995). These indicators have been widely used by international organizations (e. g. OECD, UN, IMF and WB) and environmental ministries or agencies of many countries, including Mexico.

One of the strategies for managing the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial biodiversity is the System of Management Units for Wildlife Conservation (SUMA, for its acronym in Spanish), implemented in 1997 by the Mexican Environmental Agency (Semarnap). The system’s overall objective is the conservation of natural habitats and environmental services, as well as of wildlife populations and species for purposes of restoration, protection, maintenance, recovery, reproduction, repopulation, reintroduction, research, safeguard, shelter, rehabilitation, display, environmental education and sustainable use (Semarnat, 2008). This program includes the so-called extensive Umas, which involve extraction schemes (such as hunting ranches), and non-extractive Umas (dedicated solely to ecotourism), which, in addition to promoting the sustainable use of biodiversity, protect the ecosystems that are home to organisms used. Moreover, according to the General Law of Wildlife, the premises or facilities that manage wildlife in a confined way and where species or populations are not recovered for reintegration to natural habitats are not considered Umas but Wildlife Management Premises and Facilities (PIMVS, for its acronym in Spanish). The indicator Management Units for Wildlife Conservation (Uma) denotes one of the government efforts aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of national biodiversity. This indicator is developed in this chapter under the section of Species.