The Human Impact on the Forest in Quintana Roo, Mexico

O ne of Mexico's few remaining lowland tropical forests covers much of Quintana Roo, the sourheasternmost state that only recently, in 1974, attained statehood by reaching the minimum required human population of eighty thousand. If recent trends of clearing and alternative land use continue, the concerted onslaught may permanently eradicate the forest cover. Quintana Roo has been regarded as a sparsely populated "virgin" region, the settlement and exploitation of which are overdue as the disparity between locally produced food and population in Mexico increases. However, this land has not always been so devoid of human inhabitants. It occupies the eastern part of the ancient northern Maya lowlands, a region of once-dense human occupation and high cultural attainments. Far from being pristine, the modern forest is the result of past human activity over a long period. Although the details of these impacts are as yet unclear, it appears that human beings have long obtained important economic benefits from the forest by both extraction and deliberate planting. These benefits could be lost permanently if the forestland is converted to other uses.