Mexico is one of the world’s more biologically diverse countries. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity. Mexico also has all kinds of ecosystems, and its forests cover a surface area of about 64 million hectares, or 34.5% of the country. Mexico contains vegetation adapted to fire, with frequent and moderate fire regimes. There is also vegetation with fire regimes characterized by relatively frequent fires and intense crown fires. Finally, there are catastrophic regimes which are infrequent, with fires occurring over centuries.

In Mexico, as in the rest of the world, human populations need to produce food, for which they resort to changing land use, often using fire to eliminate natural vegetation. In addition to this, climate change is causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of fires of natural origin. 2021 has been one of the most challenging years in terms of forest fires in Mexico, according to the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR). In March there were 2,871 wildfires, equivalent to 73,459 hectares burned. It is believed that 2021 could be the most catastrophic wildfire period in 23 years because in 1998 there were 6,141 fires, and more than 116,264 hectares were affected.

The causes of these destructive fires must be mitigated or eradicated, a large number of species are threatened by it; people also lose their properties and their health deteriorates; the world loses large carbon reservoirs, particularly key in the fight against climate change. Natural fires are not bad, they are a natural process, but many of the large fires have been caused directly by human activity. We need to stop doing the same, there are many things to change but above all it is necessary to reflect on the enormous importance of forests, and the enormous respect that these wonderful ecosystems deserve.

 
Bibliography: 1) Domínguez, RM; & Rodríguez T, DA. 2004. Forest Fires in Mexico and Central América. In Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Fire Economics, Planning, and Policy: A Global View. pp. 709-720. At: https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr208en/psw_gtr208en_709-720_dominquez.pdf; 2) Gutiérrez, J. 2021. México Asfixiado por Incendios Forestales. At: https://www.nfpajla.org/blog/1874-mexico-asfixiado-por-incendios-forestales


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