MAPPING THE EXPANSION OF OIL PALM (Elais guineensis Jacq.) IN MEXICO — METHODOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENTS

Oil palm (Elais guineensis Jacq.), a high-yielding oil-seed crop, is associated with multiple socio-environmental impacts. The Mexican oil palm sector is emerging and stands out for its dynamism. This paper presents hitherto unpublished maps to facilitate an independent, transparent and publicly accessible monitoring of the progression of this crop at national level. A first map, with data from 2014 to 2019, satisfactorily captures established plantations (94 % of the areas officially reported for Chiapas), even in very small plots (the area of the smallest polygon being only 330 m²). In the second, with data from 2016 to 2022, both the quality of the mapping and the coverage of cultivated areas increased (70 % of the officially reported planted areas), especially in Tabasco and Campeche, the states with the largest expansion of oil palm cultivation in the country since 2012. Comparing both maps with data on land use, vegetation and protected natural areas (PNAs) highlights the contribution of oil palm to the deforestation of more than 7500 ha of conservation-relevant habitats between 2014 and 2022 (5 % of the total oil palm area). The existence of large areas of oil palm in La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve (Chiapas) and its presence in other PNAs is confirmed. High spatial resolution maps, such as the one presented here, are necessary for the calibration of surface and terrain models at the regional and global scales, which are used in environmental impact projections. Such projections can then advise public policies and conservation plans at the national level. This paper proposes alternatives for the verification and communication of statistical and spatial data, to support an informed debate on the benefits and impacts of oil palm in Mexico.