The Bosque el Nixticuil (Nixticuil Forest) is an

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

Declaratoria de protección al bosque del Nixticuil busca favorecer a particulares - La Jornada Jalisco
/ref> located northwest of the Metropolitan Zone of Guadalajara in the Mexican town of

Zapopan Zapopan () is a city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Part of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, the population of Zapopan city proper makes it the second largest city in the state, very close behind the population of ...

. An urban forest, it is encroached by the metropolitan area's constant growth. It is mostly composed of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

holm oak Holm oak may refer to: * '' Quercus ilex'', tree native to South and Southeast Europe and parts of France * '' Quercus rotundifolia'', tree native to the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa * ''Quercus agrifolia ''Quercus agrifolia'', the Cal ...

and pine. It is a remnant of a larger, now vanished, forest of more than 27,000 hectares. Its name comes from a local natural promontory called ''El Nixticuil''.Exhorta al Ejecutivo Federal a Declarar como Área de Protección de Recursos Naturales al Bosque de El Nixticuil - Sitio Oficial Diputados Federales PAN

Features

Extent

The forest stretches over 1,860 hectares, of which 1,591 have been established as a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

En defensa del bosque El Nixticuil - La Jornada Jalisco
/ref> (NPA) under the category of municipal watershed protection area (''Area Municipal de Protección Hidrológica''). The areas covered by the forest protection decree cover Nixticuil, the Cerro del Diente and the community of San Esteban, which form part of the Río Blanco watershed.

Fauna and flora

The forest's wildlife include

coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

rabbit Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...

opossum Opossums () are members of the marsupial order Didelphimorphia () endemic to the Americas. The largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, it comprises 93 species in 18 genera. Opossums originated in South America and entered North ...

, various species of rodents and birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Various bird counts have been conducted in the forest, with one study by the University of Guadalajara reporting 107 distinct avian species (two rare, seven threatened and a one under special protection). In addition to oaks, pines and holm oaks, there is also a great biodiversity of herbs and shrubs such as kidneywood, copal, mallow,

mugwort Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus ''Artemisia.'' In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species '' Artemisia vulgaris'', or common mugwort. In East Asia the species '' Artemisia argyi'' i ...

, foxtail, and other trees such as

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...

, the '' amate''

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

, and the

cat's claw Cat's claw or cat's claws (also ''uña de gato'' or ''unha de gato'' in Spanish or Portuguese) is a common name for several plants: * ''Acacia greggii'', a tree species native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico * ''Acacia plumos ...

(''tepame'') and needle bush (''

huisache ''Vachellia farnesiana'', also known as ''Acacia farnesiana'', and previously ''Mimosa farnesiana'', commonly known as sweet acacia, huisache, or needle bush, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its flowers are use ...

'') acacias. It is one of three known habitats of the ''

Styrax jaliscana ''Styrax'' (common names storax or snowbell) is a genus of about 130 species of large shrubs or small trees in the family Styracaceae, mostly native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the majority in eastern ...

'', a white-flowering shrub in the '' Styrax'' family.

Threats

This forest is currently threatened for several reasons. Environmental organizations such as the Comité Salvabosque de El NixticuilIntereses inmobiliarios “impiden la protección” - Ediciones Impresas Milenio
and the Comité Salvabosque Tigre II have decided to undertake actions to protect it.

Protected status

In 2005, neighbors and activists petitioned the city of Zapopan to grant the official status of "Protected Area" to 30 hectares of forest. This came after 2004's rainy season, when the ground gave way in the Nextipac community, affecting its inhabitants. At that point, the Zapopan city government intended to relocate those residents to a forested area adjacent to ''Tigre II'', with construction scheduled for 2005. Those already living in ''Tigre II'' who wanted to avoid the destruction of the forest, and a significant number of Nextipac residents who refused their forced removal, united to oppose this project. Following this, the work was suspended and negotiations began. These negotiations continued until the city government decided without warning to retake and expand the territory designated for construction. Thereafter, protests renewed, and on May 18, 2005, the protesters managed to stop the work again, by which time more than 300 oak trees had been cut down. Together with the Zapopan municipal government's plan to construct public housing on 5 hectares of forest, various other public and private developments have been proposed within Nixticuil Forest. The development sponsored by the ''Villa de los Niños'' Association consists of the construction of a building complex, while the

Autonomous University of Guadalajara In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ...

(UAG) presented a project to construct a "University Science and Technology Research Park". By the end of 2006 the Zapopan government proposed the designation of Nixticuil Forest as a natural protected area. Nevertheless, the Jalisco State Legislature did not act until February 19, 2008 to approve the protected status of 1,591 hectares, which presupposed the freezing of the various municipal projects within Nixticuil Forest. In June 2007, ''Comité Salvabosque Tigre II'', a community organization, presented a complaint before the Federal Prosecutor for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA) to terminate development, alleging irregularities in the granting of permits. On March 18, this same group also filed a complaint with the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ). The ''Comité Salvabosque'' decries, in addition to private development plans, pressure by real estate interests continues, as well as anomalies in the act creating the protected area which they allege favor private interests including the Leaño family, the UAG's landowners.

Wildfires

Fires are one of the greatest threats faced by this forest. According to environmental groups that protect the forest, some of these fires have been intentional, motivated by economic interests. These fires have had a serious impact on the flora and fauna, as these fires have increased the pace of urban growth in municipality of Zapopan.

Logging

Given its illegality, over the long term, logging is the main cause of the disappearance of flora and fauna, and has increased in severity due to encroaching urbanization.

References

{{coord, 20, 45, 57, N, 103, 24, 38, W, region:MX_type:forest, display=title Old-growth forests Protected areas of Jalisco Forests of Mexico Geography of Jalisco Zapopan