Mexico Losing Forests Rapidly

A new study of satellite images suggests that Mexico is losing forest cover almost twice as fast as previously estimated, making it the country with the second-highest deforestation rate in the world, the Environment Ministry said Monday.

For years, the government had estimated that Mexico was losing about 1.5 million acres of forest annually to logging, fires and the expansion of farms and ranches.

But according to a multi-agency study of satellite images taken between 1993 and 2000, annual forest loss in those years averaged about 2.78 million acres, Environment Secretary Victor Lichtinger said.

Over eight years, Mexico lost forest equivalent to the area of Ireland. Scientists estimate that Brazil has the world’s highest deforestation rate, followed by Mexico and Indonesia.

Upon taking office a year ago, President Vicente Fox pledged to combat deforestation by cracking down on illegal logging and encouraging reforestation.