Construction of a sustainable forest management index to assess compliance with SDG 15.2 in six Latin American countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70577/asce.v5i3.664Keywords:
Latin America, Biodiversity, Ecological balance, Forest management, Forest resourcesAbstract
Forests play an essential role in environmental balance by fostering biodiversity conservation, climate regulation, soil protection, and carbon storage; however, there is a need to strengthen sustainable forest management and comprehensively assess progress related to SDG 15.2. Therefore, the objective was to conduct a comparative analysis of progress toward sustainable forest management in six Latin American countries using indicators linked to SDG 15.2. A quantitative, comparative, and longitudinal study was conducted in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru covering the period from 2000 to 2025. Four variables were examined: forest area, above-ground biomass, certified forest area, and the percentage of area under long-term management plans. The analysis included descriptive statistics, correlations, regression, principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and the construction of a Sustainable Forest Management Index. Findings revealed significant differences among the countries; Ecuador showed the best overall performance, followed by Peru and Colombia. Forest area exhibited the strongest relationship with long-term management, whereas forest certification did not show a consistent association with the other indicators. Forest sustainability depends on the integration of conservation, planning, and governance; countries with the best results combined adequate forest cover with robust management mechanisms. In contrast, while forest certification was relevant, it did not constitute a sufficient indicator of sustainability on its own.
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