Land‐Use Change and Hillslope Instability in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Central Mexico

A significant landsliding episode in February 2010 within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in Mexico revealed that deforestation played a critical role in hillslope instability, leading to debris flows that caused 16 deaths and substantial damage. The study analyzed land-use changes over four decades (1971–2010), finding that while deforestation rates remained relatively low compared to other regions of Mexico, the 2010 landslides destroyed or degraded approximately 54.57 hectares of forest. This suggests that payments for environmental services may mitigate human-induced deforestation but highlights the need for disaster risk management in fragile ecosystems. The research combined digital photo interpretation and field observations to assess land-cover changes and their relationship with landsliding.

López‐García, J., & Alcántara‐Ayala, I. (2012). LAND‐USE CHANGE AND HILLSLOPE INSTABILITY IN THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY BIOSPHERE RESERVE, CENTRAL MEXICO. Land Degradation & Development, 23(4), 384–397. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2159