Abstract

LUJAN ALVAREZ, Concepción; OLIVAS GARCIA, Jesús Miguel  and  HERNANDEZ SALAS, Javier. A participative socio-ecological model for sustainable communitarian forest development in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Relac. Estud. hist. soc. [online]. 2016, vol.37, n.145, pp.221-249. ISSN 2448-7554.

This study was conducted in the Papigochi River basin in the northwestern region of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, an area where natural resources have deteriorated and the basic needs of inhabitants go largely unsatisfied. The objective was to design and apply a participative socio-ecological model to orient sustainable forest exploitation, based on three principles: participative democracy, a holistic vision, and strategic thinking. The model included the following aspects: local actors from the region as a base element; the model of "search conference-based" participative planning; sociocultural and economic analyses; and the application of a hierarchical system of indicators to evaluate sustainable development, which produced a score that fell into the "poor" range. A strategic participative plan was integrated, including needs common to the area as a whole and specific to each sub-system (forest, agricultural). The participative socio-ecological model constitutes a prototype distinct from traditional ones, for it propels regional development policies through a holistic focus that seeks to respond to the needs of local actors. Moreover, it possesses the flexibility and versatility necessary to be applied to diverse geographic, sociocultural and economic conditions.

Keywords : participative socio-ecological model; sustainable forest exploitation; hydrologic basin; Chihuahua forests; rural forest development; communitarian forest development.