Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico
Abstract The mountains of western Mexico contain one of the highest numbers of conifers and hardwood species for the country. The extraction of those species represents about 82% of the national timber production. Governmental practices had been the burden to conservation and sustainable forestry pr...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Conservation Science and Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.562 |
| _version_ | 1818722156115132416 |
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| author | Carlos Ignacio García‐Jiménez Yalma L. Vargas‐Rodriguez |
| author_facet | Carlos Ignacio García‐Jiménez Yalma L. Vargas‐Rodriguez |
| author_sort | Carlos Ignacio García‐Jiménez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The mountains of western Mexico contain one of the highest numbers of conifers and hardwood species for the country. The extraction of those species represents about 82% of the national timber production. Governmental practices had been the burden to conservation and sustainable forestry practices in the last two decades by allowing illegal logging and circumventing environmental laws. In the last 5 years, pervasive illegal logging is led by organized crime gangs. These gangs work in complete impunity, using intimidation, kidnapping, and bribery to silence the landowners, the entire community, and government officials. As a consequence, community forest enterprises declined and the illegal logging increased. For example, 4% of the national production was illegally extracted in the Talpa de Allende municipality during 2017–2019, and an estimated of 70% of the timber in Mexico lack of extraction permits. Institutional practices, reduced budgets, corruption networks, and impunity are producing environmental degradation in western Mexico, and likely elsewhere in the country as well. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:50:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57756fcf26d943fea4dd36956df14027 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2578-4854 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T20:50:08Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Science and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-57756fcf26d943fea4dd36956df140272022-12-21T21:33:03ZengWileyConservation Science and Practice2578-48542021-12-01312n/an/a10.1111/csp2.562Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western MexicoCarlos Ignacio García‐Jiménez0Yalma L. Vargas‐Rodriguez1Centro Universitario de Ciencias Económico Administrativas Universidad de Guadalajara Zapopan Jalisco MexicoCentro Universitario de los Valles Universidad de Guadalajara Ameca Jalisco MexicoAbstract The mountains of western Mexico contain one of the highest numbers of conifers and hardwood species for the country. The extraction of those species represents about 82% of the national timber production. Governmental practices had been the burden to conservation and sustainable forestry practices in the last two decades by allowing illegal logging and circumventing environmental laws. In the last 5 years, pervasive illegal logging is led by organized crime gangs. These gangs work in complete impunity, using intimidation, kidnapping, and bribery to silence the landowners, the entire community, and government officials. As a consequence, community forest enterprises declined and the illegal logging increased. For example, 4% of the national production was illegally extracted in the Talpa de Allende municipality during 2017–2019, and an estimated of 70% of the timber in Mexico lack of extraction permits. Institutional practices, reduced budgets, corruption networks, and impunity are producing environmental degradation in western Mexico, and likely elsewhere in the country as well.https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.562biodiversity losscorruptiongreen crimeimpunityinstitutional practices |
| spellingShingle | Carlos Ignacio García‐Jiménez Yalma L. Vargas‐Rodriguez Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico Conservation Science and Practice biodiversity loss corruption green crime impunity institutional practices |
| title | Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico |
| title_full | Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico |
| title_short | Passive government, organized crime, and massive deforestation: The case of western Mexico |
| title_sort | passive government organized crime and massive deforestation the case of western mexico |
| topic | biodiversity loss corruption green crime impunity institutional practices |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.562 |
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