Research on the sustainability of natural resources at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias

Abstract

This paper summarizes the available knowledge generated at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP) on the sustainability of natural resources. A documentary search was performed in the Scopus (1972-2020) and Web of Science (WoS) databases, as well as in the SciELO Citation Index sub-database (2002-2020) and the Mexican Journal of Forestry (Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Forestales, RMCF) (1985-2009). The information was drawn based on 10 keywords and was analyzed using the Bibliometrix, VOSviewer and IBM-SPSS 23.0 software to identify the formation of collaboration networks and co-authorships. The publications generated by forestry researchers on sustainability issues are incipient, and most are from the present century; 3 653 documents were initially recovered from Scopus and 210 in a second instance; 1 447 in WoS, and 28 in RMCF. The above coincides with the rise of global interest in climate change and its impact on ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as in the importance of ecosystem services and sustainable forest management. Other relevant aspects are water management in agroecosystems and integrated basin management. Five collaborative networks were identified in Scopus, 15 in WoS, and 4 in the RMCF. INIFAP has human resources with experience and knowledge in the three sectors it comprises, as well as specialists in socio-economics; this constitutes a strength for the formation of multisectoral collaborations to undertake visionary projects concerning the sustainable development of natural resources.