Project/activity information

The accelerated deforestation process in the Mexican tropics has prompted forest authorities to promote reforestation and commercial plantation establishment activities, mainly through two ambitious programs involving local communities, PRONARE and PRODEPLAN, with a view to increasing forest cover, reducing pressure on natural forests and ensuring the supply of the forest industry. The main species used in these programs are red cedar (Cedrela odorata) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which, unfortunately, are heavily attacked by Meliaceae borers, jeopardizing the success of the programs and discouraging local communities involved in these programs.

The overall objective of this project proposal is to achieve the sustainable production of tropical timber in Mexico through the development, implementation of an integrated system for the management of pests that are currently limiting the establishment of cedar and mahogany plantations in the Mexican tropics. More specifically, the proposal envisages developing and promoting an integrated shoot-borer management system for young Meliaceae plantations, including silvicultural management, to enable forest producers in the Yucatan Peninsula and Veracruz to successfully establish plantations for the sustainable production of tropical timber, and further designing an operational model for the development and adoption of technologies for the management of community Meliaceae plantations with the direct participation of producers and technicians in the establishment of 12 demonstration plantations in the Yucatan Peninsula and Veracruz.

Major outputs include:
- A better understanding by producers of the Meliaceae plantation systems and the management of phyto-sanitary problems;
- The validation and transfer of direct control methods for H. grandella and C. yucatanensis, assessing their cost-effectiveness and performance;
- Monitoring of damage and pests to collect information on the biology of Meliaceae borers in the study area (population fluctuations and environmental factors regulating Hypsipyla grandella and Chrysobothris yucatanensis life cycles);
- The validation and transfer of silvicultural and agroforestry practices to minimise the damage caused by Meliaceae borers;
- Identification and propagation of Meliaceae borer-resistant genotypes;
- 12 demonstration plantations established in an equal number of rural communities and under various environmental conditions in the states of Yucatan, Campeche, Quintana Roo and Veracruz, showcasing the silvicultural practices required for the sound management of Meliaceae plantations, using producers’ plantations and the most direct and cost-effective technology transfer approach; and
- 120 producers and 24 forest technicians trained annually on plantation establishment, silvicultural management and integrated management of Meliaceae borers.