El Enemigo Común

Santa María Chimalapa es un municipio ubicado en el sureste del estado de Oaxaca.

Ubicado en la región del Istmo de Tehuantepec, limita al oeste con el municipio de Matías Romero y con El Barrio de la Soledad, al sudoeste con Asunción Ixtaltepec, al sur con San Miguel Chimalapa, al este con el estado de Chiapas y al norte con el estado de Veracruz.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Mar%C3%ADa_Chimalapa

From the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) Mexico:

Selva Zoque

The region known as the Zoque Forest, or Selva Zoque, is located at the merging of the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Veracruz . The majority of the forest, however, is found in the Chimalapas region of Oaxaca (approximately 600,000 hectares) and is the focus of WWF’s Selva Zoque Program.

Environment

This region is of great biological importance on both national and international levels. It includes the largest expanse of well-conserved lowland humid tropical forest and cloud forest in northern Mesoamerica, and consequently has a formidable diversity of species.

Due to its location in a geologically and topographically complex zone and a dramatic rainfall gradient (as much as 3,000 mm annual rainfall in the north), the Selva Zoque contains as many as 15 different plant communities, from evergreen rainforest and cloud forest to pine-oak and tropical dry forests.

Despite a paucity of biological information, it is believed that the Selva Zoque is one of the most biodiverse areas in the entire country. For example, more than 300 species of orchids have been identified here —27% of the species and 60% of the genera in all of Mexico.

It is still possible to find highly threatened species here, such as the jaguar, spider monkey, white-lipped peccary, horned guan, quetzal and harpy eagle. With respect to water, it is a critical zone containing the headwaters of five hydrologic regions. The El Corte river watershed, the major tributary of the Coatzacoalcos river, provides hydrologic services to the municipal seat, Santa Maria Chimalapa and to the Cuauhtemoc district—the most important agricultural and cattle district in the state of Oaxaca. The Negro river watershed joins the drainage that feeds the Nezahualcoyotl dam, and its conservation is critical in preventing silting of the dam. The Uxpanapa river watershed, together with the Coatzacoalcos river, represents the primary source of water for Veracruz ’s southern wetlands. The Espiritu Santo river watershed, for its part, directly affects the fish production in the Isthmus’ lagoon system.

For the characteristics described, the Selva Zoque has been designated as “outstanding at a bioregional level” according to the World Bank and WWF. The region is also recognized by WWF and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Center of Plant Diversity and a Global 200 ecoregion —one of the world’s 200 most important ecoregions for conservation.

Culture, Society and Economy

The region is of great cultural importance and its Zoque indigenous inhabitants are considered the cultural descendants of the Olmecs, the formative civilization of Mesoamerica.

Currently, the area is colonized by groups of Chinantec, Mixe, Mixtec, Zapotec, Tzotzil and Tzeltal origin, in addition to mestizos from various states of Mexico. The high rate of immigration has reduced the Zoque population to a minority fraction, resulting in a process of social stratification that is visible in the power structure and in the access to resources. The region has high levels of poverty and economic marginalization, with serious problems affecting health, nutrition and access to basic services.

The region’s economy is based primarily on subsistence agriculture using traditional farming methods. There is some coffee, citrus and small-scale fruit tree production where conditions permit. Timber extraction, hunting and trafficking in forest species adds to family income.

source: http://www.wwf.org.mx/wwfmex/prog_bosques_fs_sz_en.php