Identification of priority areas for montane forest restoration in the upper basin of the La Antigua River basin, Veracruz

Identifying areas for forest restoration contributes to the design of actions that favor connectivity and forest cover. The objective of the study was to identify priority areas for riparian forest restoration, in the upper basin of the La Antigua River, Veracruz. We conducted a multi -criteria analysis using 16 parameters integrated into 9 groups: biological conservation, restoration potential, riparian zones/hydrological corridors, topography, climate, soil, disturbance, beneficiaries, and danger of natural events. The analysis defined, standardized and weighed the criteria used to generate a map of priority areas for restoration. The categories of high, medium, low priority represented 6.8%, 6.9%, and 1.4% of the total study area, respectively. The areas with high priority are distributed mainly in pastures, near rivers, between 1,098 and 2,974 m asl, with an average annual rainfall similar to 1,373 mm, slight slopes, with low fire risk, and in areas with risk of landslides. The results identify areas where restoration efforts could have a major impact.