Ganancias y pérdidas: Los bosques secos tropicales son vulnerables al cambio global

This fact sheet describes the vulnerability of tropical dry forests in the Americas to global change, detailing trends in productivity and the critical need for expanded conservation efforts to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services.

• Tropical dry forests in the Americas are severely depleted and under-protected, with only 40% of the original forest surface remaining. Of this remaining area, only 4.5% (23,417 km2) is protected within biological reserves and national parks, the majority of which are located in Brazil and Bolivia.
• Tropical dry forests cover 520,000 km2 in the Americas, a figure that rises to approximately 1,070,000 km2 when including savanna ecosystems and other arid or semi-arid environments. Mexico holds the largest share of neotropical dry forests at 38%, followed by Brazil and Bolivia.
• Satellite data from 1982 to 2006 reveals divergent productivity trends linked to global warming. Productivity has decreased in the Brazilian Caatinga and parts of Mexico, which may lead to increased desertification, forest fires, and water resource pressure for tourism and agriculture in southern Mexico and northeast Brazil. Conversely, productivity and growing seasons have increased in the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, as well as in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Mexico.
• The fragmentation of dry forests in Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala increases the risk of species extinction and disturbance. Furthermore, increased productivity in some regions is viewed with concern by scientists, as it may encourage intensified deforestation and agriculture, potentially triggering desertification and the spread of agave and cactus species.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2011). Ganancias y pérdidas: Los bosques secos tropicales son vulnerables al cambio global. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/snapshot8_SP.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Ganancias y pérdidas: Los bosques secos tropicales son vulnerables al cambio global. 2011. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/snapshot8_SP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Ganancias y pérdidas: Los bosques secos tropicales son vulnerables al cambio global |date=2011 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/snapshot8_SP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2011ganancias, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Ganancias y pérdidas: Los bosques secos tropicales son vulnerables al cambio global}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2011}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/snapshot8_SP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }