The Local Perception of Tropical Deforestation and its Relation to Conservation Policies in Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Abstract

We examine the ways both deforestation and conservation are viewed by people of two villages with different ethnic composition located within the biosphere reserve of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico. The rain forest is considered to be important, since it provides many resources and environmental benefits. Residents do notice forest degradation, although deforestation is not one of their major concerns. In the mestizo village, 65% of interviewees indicated they felt responsible for deforestation, while only 30% of indigenous villagers felt the same. In both communities, nearly half the respondents see themselves as powerless to take actions to preserve the forest. We analyzed the management plan for the reserve in light of our results, and found authorities' perceptions differ from that of local communities. This study emphasizes the lack of factual data and common goals for biodiversity conservation. Our work points to the urgency to build conservation efforts that involve the different social actors, who diverge in interests and views, particularly in countries like Mexico, where rich biodiversity regions are also broadly inhabited.

Conservation in Context: A Comparison of Conservation Perspectives in a Mexican Protected Area

“…Part of the problem is that these projects are largely dependent on external support and not on local incentives that will build human capacity [45,49]. In this sense, OMYK is consistent with conventional conservation approaches where the participation of locals in the implementation and management of conservation programs is restricted [14,58], even though most group categories suggested that the PA should represent the interests of all parties involved, in particular local communities.…”

“…Views on the role of protected areas vary according to group interests [14,16,17,45]. Although OMYK's stakeholders expressed different interests in the PA, all groups shared a collective vision of the goals that should be prioritized.…”

“…In fact, several studies have pointed out that successful approaches would be those incorporating local perceptions on conservation and engaging communities in the management of reserves [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. As a result, efforts to include local participation and values in conservation projects have increased [20][21][22].…”

“…instruments), would provide the optimal conditions to achieve a widely accepted management plan [14,26]. Identifying priorities as well as similar interests among stakeholders is an important step for the conceptualization and design of management plans and conservation strategies [14,27,28].…”

Genesis of an indigenous social-ecological landscape in eastern Panama

“…In a mangrove deforestation study in Cameroon, for example, lack of flooding and deforestation risk perception meant that mangrove protection would be limited (Munji et al 2014). Diverse perceptions of causes of deforestation influenced degrees of interest in conservation in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico (Durand and Lazos 2008).…”