With 33% of forest cover (64.8 million hectares according to FAO, 2010) Mexico is considered a highly biodiverse and culturally rich country. As outlined in Mexico’s Forest Resource Assessment, the net deforestation rate (including all forests, as well as other wooded lands) has decreased by 55% over the past 10 years;  from 408,000 ha/year in 2000 to 187,000 ha/year in 2010. Using the FAO definition of forests, the net deforestation rate has decreased from 354,000 ha/year in 2000 to 155,000 ha/year in 2010 - also equivalent to a 55% reduction (FAO, 2010). Nevertheless, deforestation rates vary widely across the country, with some areas and ecosystems still subject to high rates of deforestation and forest degradation (CONAFOR, 2010a).

According to the World Bank, Mexico...