Abstract

NARCHI, Nemer E.  and  CANABAL CRISTIANI, Beatriz. Environmental degradation in Lake Xochimilco, México, as perceived by urban settlers and traditional agriculturalists. Soc. ambient. [online]. 2016, n.12, pp.5-29. ISSN 2007-6576.

The progressive environmental degradation of the biocultural landscape represented by Lake Xochimilco has put at risk the World Heritage Site denomination of the area. The environmental degradation of Lake Xochimilco is due, in large part, to the implementation of top-down policies, productive projects, and conservation measures. This article, which is based on ethnographic work, analyzes the ways in which local neighbors and agricultural producers perceive, understand, and assimilate the causes of environmental degradation in Lake Xochimilco. We argue that recognizing local perceptions of environmental degradation is extremely important in constructing solutions in which local inhabitants can play a role in decision-making as well as in successfully implementing any given solution. We suggest that subsequent effort to preserve the area should take into account existing local knowledge and technologies and emphasize that excluding local knowledge and technologies will render null any results of implementing top-down public conservation policies.

Keywords : World Heritage Site; cultural landscape; chinampa agriculture; participation; biocultural knowledge.