Deforestation by Mexico’s avocado industry worse than thought

October 31, 2016

Talia Coria, an official in the attorney general's office for environmental protection, said almost 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of forest land are converted to agricultural uses each year in the western state of Michoacan, the world's top producer of avocados.

Coria, who heads the office's Michoacan division, said between 30 percent and 40 percent of the annual forest loss is due to avocados. That is about 15,000 to 20,000 acres (6,000 to 8,000 hectares).

Experts say a mature avocado orchard uses almost twice as much water as fairly dense forest, meaning . . .

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