Local understandings of conservation in southeastern Mexico and their implications for community-based conservation as an alternative paradigm
Authors
Reyes-Garcia, VictoriaRuiz-Mallen, Isabel
Porter-Bolland, Luciana
Garcia-Frapolli, Eduardo
Ellis, Edward A.
Mendez, Maria-Elena
Pritchard, Diana J.
Sanchez-Gonzalez, Maria-Consuelo
Affiliation
Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis AvancatsCentro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas
Universidad Veracruzana
University of Sussex
Issue Date
2013-08
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Since the 1990s national and international programs have aimed to legitimize local conservation initiatives that might provide an alternative to the formal systems of state-managed or otherwise externally driven protected areas. We used discourse analysis (130 semistructured interviews with key informants) and descriptive statistics (679 surveys) to compare local perceptions of and experiences with state-driven versus community-driven conservation initiatives. We conducted our research in 6 communities in southeastern Mexico. Formalization of local conservation initiatives did not seem to be based on local knowledge and practices. Although interviewees thought community-based initiatives generated less conflict than statemanaged conservation initiatives, the community-based initiatives conformed to the biodiversity conservation paradigm that emphasizes restricted use of and access to resources. This restrictive approach to community-based conservation in Mexico, promoted through state and international conservation organizations, increased the area of protected land and had local support but was not built on locally relevant and multifunctional landscapes, a model that community-based conservation is assumed to advance.Citation
Reyes-Garcia, V. et al (2013) 'Local Understandings of Conservation in Southeastern Mexico and Their Implications for Community-Based Conservation as an Alternative Paradigm' Conservation Biology 27 (4):856Publisher
WileyJournal
Conservation BiologyAdditional Links
http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/cobi.12056Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
0888-8892ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/cobi.12056