Case Study: ECOSUR (Mexican research institute) quantifies avoided deforestation in Chiapas with Ecometrica's Hectares Indicator

ECOSUR - Customer Case Study

ECOSUR used Ecometrica’s Hectares Indicator (HI) toolkit as part of the Forests 2020 programme to quantify how much deforestation their interventions in Chiapas, Mexico were avoiding. Their challenge was to establish a robust reference level and risk map for three regions (Sierra Madre, Marqués de Comillas and Reserva El Ocote) so they could measure actual forest loss against expected loss and evaluate the effectiveness of climate‑smart land‑use interventions.

Using Ecometrica’s HI and Mapping Platform, ECOSUR created spatial risk maps based on accessibility, social/economic factors and protection status, uploaded observed loss data, and ran the HI queries to calculate avoided loss. Results showed measurable variation by region: in Sierra Madre 71 ha of ‘Very High’ risk forest were expected to be lost but only 25 ha were lost (45 ha avoided), while in Marqués de Comillas expected loss of 210 ha in the ‘High’ category rose to 390 ha (‑180 ha avoided), highlighting areas where the risk model or interventions need adjustment. Ecometrica’s toolkit provided a light‑touch, repeatable annual monitoring approach that allowed ECOSUR to quantify impacts and target further investigation and action.

ECOSUR