Historical Analysis of Public Soil Conservation Policies in the Nevado de Toluca, Mexico

Abstract

The Nevado de Toluca is a protected natural area located in the State of Mexico, which has suffered severe soil degradation processes. The government has faced this problem by implementing various public conservation policies. This article aims to analyze the public soil conservation policies implemented in the Nevado de Toluca through the content of historical documents related to the subject and the spatial description of their programs. The results indicate that the most successful public soil conservation policy was the one implemented during the 1980-1990 decade, represented by the Programa de Acondicionamiento de Suelos de la Protectora de Bosques del Estado de México. The least successful was the one of 1950, represented by the Programa de Corrección de la Cuenca Alta del Río Lerma, of the Dirección de Conservación del Suelo y Agua. The public soil conservation policy has allowed the recovery of 17 % of the surface of the Nevado de Toluca; however, some aspects must be analyzed to improve its operation.