Molinillos Private Forest Estate, Durango, Mexico

Molinillos is a private estate that includes forests, and is located in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range within the state of Durango in Mexico. The estate is owned by five families in which the main business is forestry and ecotourism. The current owners acquired the land in 1994 from different sellers and decided to consolidate the properties to operate as one contiguous estate. The latest and currently active forest plan considers two types of management: one for irregular (uneven-aged) forest areas with a focus on selective harvesting, and the other for areas with even-aged forests. Attempts are made to maintain a forest condition that satisfies many objectives, including high biodiversity, improved wildlife habitat, low operational costs, and superior net economic benefits. The need for this new multi-objective approach arose quite naturally from the existing diversity of species composition, forest structure, soil quality, and topography. Some challenges remain to be met by the current owners. These include seeking forestry certification, which may help to ensure ownership commitment to high-quality forest management standards. In addition, the owners intend to be a local leader in ecotourism, which requires improvement of existing infrastructure, including access roads and electricity supply to the ownership. Finally, the owners want to ensure resource sustainability through compliance with local and federal legislation as well as diversifying forest management through hunting and ecotourism opportunities, the marketing of timber and non-timber products and services, and federal programs associated with payments for environmental services.