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Dry forest in Mexico - Nizanda: From Hidden Paradise to Global Ecological Hub

By Rodrigo Muñoz

As amusing as it may sound, there are likely more ecologists worldwide who are aware of Nizanda's existence than people in Oaxaca, the region in Mexico where this beautiful tropical dry forest is located. In nearby areas, Nizanda is known for its hot springs and rocky cliffs, making it an occasional weekend getaway for locals. Internationally, however, Nizanda is renowned for its impressive and highly endemic biodiversity and for the continuous studies on forest regeneration that have been conducted for over 20 years.

Nizanda spans approximately 70 km², surrounded by hills and mountains. Fortunately, much of the area we know as Nizanda falls within an agrarian community of about 10-20 families. Most of these families consist of elderly people who no longer work the land, or they cultivate only small amounts of corn, beans, or sorghum for personal consumption or for their farm animals. In contrast, a smaller portion of the region, where the actual village of Nizanda lies, is intensively used by around 250 residents. This has created a complex mosaic of agrarian and tropical forest patches near the village, providing valuable insights into the recovery of tropical dry forests after slash-and-burn agriculture. This has been a fortunate situation for both the locals and researchers like us.

This region has been studied for 30 years. While it may be tempting to say Nizanda became famous for its studies on forest regeneration, this would be an oversimplification. The area is a fascinating blend of natural beauty and social uniqueness, partly due to its Zapotec indigenous background and its relative isolation until recently. Numerous studies have been conducted here, beginning with the monumental task of describing over 1,000 plant species by Eduardo Pérez-García and Jorge Meave from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Other notable studies include the establishment of the forest recovery chronosequence by Edwin Lebrija-Trejos in 2003, which solidified the presence of Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands) in Nizanda, and the initial analyses of secondary forest dynamics by Eunice Romero-Pérez. Studies on functional diversity by Madelon Lohbeck, anthropological research by Cristina Alonso, Fernanda Figueroa, and Leonardo Calzada, and landscape ecology and remote sensing work by Alberto Gallardo are also significant. And the list goes on.

I entered the picture in December 2012, assisting Alberto Gallardo with fieldwork to validate his remote sensing results. Despite the tough fieldwork, I immediately fell in love with the region and its landscapes. I later helped with the sampling of permanent plots in both secondary (Edwin Lebrija's chronosequence) and old-growth forests. As I became more experienced, I started coordinating fieldwork campaigns and managing aspects of our research program in Nizanda. Now, 12 years after that initial fieldwork campaign, I've completed my bachelor's, master's, and PhD studies on Nizanda and its natural wonders.

So, why are you reading this on the 2ndFOR blog? Nizanda is part of the 2ndFOR secondary forest research network. We joined after the seminal Susan Letcher paper on environmental gradients and species' habitat specialization in 2015, which featured 14 Neotropical forest sites. Since then, our collaboration has been ongoing. As Frans Bongers and Lourens Poorter once said: it's easy to work with friends! Probably because of this is that the 2ndFOR network has been working so closely together for so long. I've met amazing people in this network, and that's what I've enjoyed most about 2ndFOR. It has enabled us to produce many significant papers, addressing long-standing ecological questions. We now have an unprecedented opportunity to address these collaboratively, with a network of 129 sites spanning North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania!

One starry autumn night in 2013, I was relaxing with a colleague at the hot springs after a day of fieldwork in Nizanda. I remember telling him I longed to travel outside Mexico to see more of the world. For many Mexicans, international travel seemed out of reach. Yet, a decade later, I realize how lucky I was that Nizanda was included in 2ndFOR. This inclusion was a turning point, leading to co-authoring papers, attending conferences, and engaging with the broader scientific community in tropical ecology. This opportunity significantly boosted my career, and now I write this from my desk in the Netherlands, working for one of the world's leading life sciences universities. Life sometimes takes happy and unexpected turns. I owe much of my career to the opportunities provided by 2ndFOR, and I am deeply grateful to those who envisioned and maintain this network. It has been a life-changer for many, including myself, and I hope it continues to transform the lives of young academics, especially those from the Global South, while addressing some of the most pressing ecological questions of our time.

Figure 1. Nizanda is a well-preserved region of tropical dry forest, interspersed with patches of agricultural land and secondary forests. The hilly landscape offers numerous viewpoints to appreciate the region's beauty (top left). Within the forest, one can observe the remarkable diversity of plants and animals in this small, yet hyper-diverse area (top right). Ecological research in Nizanda began in 1994 with Eduardo Pérez-García, who came to the village in search of a rare orchid species and subsequently convinced Jorge A. Meave to conduct further research in this beautiful region (bottom left). To date, Nizanda has been featured in numerous papers and projects, and 2ndFOR has significantly enhanced the international reputation of this site, as evidenced by the diverse group of people in this recent photo (from the EU PANTROP project, closely linked to 2ndFOR; bottom right).

Figure 2. Timeline of the main research avenues conducted in the Nizanda region, Mexico. Designed with great care by Jorge A. Meave, Eduardo Pérez-García, Marco A. Romero-Romero, and Lizzy Brouwer.