Abstract

PAVON, Numa P.. A serendipitous case of restoration ecology: Macuiltépetl Hill at Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2019, vol.90, e902850.  Epub Sep 09, 2019. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.22201/ib.20078706e.2019.90.2850.

This note presents the historical development of the ecological restoration of Macuiltépetl Hill located in the geographic center of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. At the beginning of the last century, the hill was completely perturbed and deforested. The restoration process began in 1922 with the construction of a road for cars, followed by reforestations mainly with eucalyptus and casuarina trees. Subsequent reforestations and the creation of the Macuiltépetl Ecological Park in 1978 (extension 31 ha) led to an impressive increase in biodiversity, highlighting 255 bird species. The above, together with the ecosystem services provided by the park, allows us to consider the case of the Macuiltépetl Hill as a success of ecological restoration.

Keywords : Natural Protected Area; Biodiversity; Urban ecology; Environmental history.