Bioenergy, Land Use Change and Ecosystem Services in Tabasco, Mexico

César J. Vazquez-Navarrete

Tabasco was an extended, rich, flooded lowland. The expansion of agriculture and oil industry and the growth of human population have transformed it to a highly fragmented, drained and complex flat surface in the last 75 years. All these changes influence over wealth and prosperity of tabasquean people. However, the knowledge of the impact in the ecosystems and their services is incipient yet. Recent studies explore economic approaches to evaluate ecosystem services. These approaches have twofold goals; first, it examines the link between human wealth and ecosystem health and second, it permits researchers and decision makers to develop compatible solutions with ecosystem functions; specially, when government introduces and fosters new economic activities. For instance, palm oil is cultivated to food purposes in Mexico, however, this crop has a potential to become one of the main biofuel in tropical regions. This study employed the ecosystem approach to examine the development of bioenergy industry in the form of oil palm. One of the main objectives of this study is to explore implications of the conversion of ecosystems and agroecosystems to oil palm. Methodology consisted on the construction of different scenarios by considering two factors: (i) the agronomical potential growth of oil palm in Tabasco at different levels of expansion and (ii) the land use change regarding to some levels of expansion. The study area was the Chontalpa Region in Tabasco, Mexico. Results show the changes in land use mainly in ecosystems, the gain or losses of economic values owing to the conversion of ecosystems and agroecosystems to oil palm, and the new economic balance for farming economy. In brief, oil palm would play a new incentive of agricultural and economic growth. This study recommends further research to develop a better understanding of social and ecological implications of future biofuel and bioenergy expansion.