Southern Mexico, 2005
workshop
Theme: “The world of unknown soils”
The Mexico workshop focused on tropical soils with strong weathering, high biodiversity, and complex land use histories. Participants examined soils influenced by volcanic activity and intense biological processes. The community addressed challenges in classifying soils with rapid turnover and diffuse horizons. Discussions emphasized the need to adapt WRB to tropical conditions while maintaining global consistency. The workshop contributed to improving classification criteria for tropical and volcanic soils.
Southern Mexico was chosen because it contains:
- Highly diverse and under-studied tropical soils
- Complex mountain systems (e.g., Sierra Madre del Sur, Sierra Juárez)
- Strong interactions between:
- Climate (humid tropics)
- Topography (steep slopes)
- Vegetation (cloud forests)