Environmental Deterioration in Rural Mexico: An Examination of the Concept
1997; Wiley; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2269426
ISSN1939-5582
AutoresRosalva Landa, Jorge A. Meave, Julia Carabias,
Tópico(s)Latin American Urban Studies
ResumoEcological ApplicationsVolume 7, Issue 1 p. 316-329 Article ENVIRONMENTAL DETERIORATION IN RURAL MEXICO: AN EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPT Rosalva Landa, Rosalva Landa Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this authorJorge Meave, Jorge Meave Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this authorJulia Carabias, Julia Carabias Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this author Rosalva Landa, Rosalva Landa Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this authorJorge Meave, Jorge Meave Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this authorJulia Carabias, Julia Carabias Laboratorio de Ecología, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México 04510 D.F., MéxicoSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 February 1997 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(1997)007[0316:EDIRMA]2.0.CO;2Citations: 28Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Mexico, like many other countries worldwide, faces an environmental crisis of enormous proportions. While in its urban dimension environmental problems are more similar to those of developed countries, in rural areas they are analogous to those prevailing in developing countries. In rural areas, which are largely devoted to food production based on traditional methods, environmental concerns are mainly related to phenomena such as deforestation and soil erosion, and not to chemical pollution or ozone-layer depletion, which are the primary concerns of the broad public. The future food production in these regions and the possibility of improving the life quality of their inhabitants depend on our understanding of these kinds of problems, and our capacity to confront them. An overview of the theoretical framework on environmental deterioration reveals a lack of definition of the concepts and terms related to this issue. Several terms, such as "desertification" and "fragmentation," among others, are widely used by ecologists but are clearly not synonymous with environmental deterioration. A consequence of this vagueness is the lack of clear criteria to differentiate areas that are only moderately modified from those in which true deterioration has occurred. Also, unified methods to efficiently evaluate environmental deterioration in rural areas are lacking. We briefly present a case study in which environmental deterioration was evaluated in La Montaña, an extremely poor and climatically and topographically heterogeneous rural region inhabited by indigenous people in southern Mexico. Three deterioration categories are recognized based on degree of human influence, proportion of vegetation cover, and soil erosion severity. Use of air photogrammetry supplemented with field surveys revealed that 13% of La Montaña is already damaged (i.e., lacking native vegetation and affected, perhaps irreversibly, by severe erosion), while 36% is altered (i.e., where native vegetation is substantially modified, but productive activities are still possible). In turn, almost three quarters of the land in the latter category is at high risk of becoming damaged. An analysis of the patterns of land-use changes around selected villages for the period 1979–1992 showed local annual deforestation rates ranging between 1 and 17%, depending upon climatic conditions. Based on the conceptual review and the analysis of the case study, we suggest that environmental deterioration comprises at least three clearly distinct dimensions: the abiotic setting, the biological attributes, and the social characteristics of the process. Finally, we define environmental deterioration as any modification of the environment that implies a reduction or loss of its physical and biological qualities, caused by natural phenomena or human activities, ultimately representing a decrease in the availability of ecosystem goods and services to human populations. The methods used to evaluate environmental deterioration at La Montaña allowed us to separate modifications that cause deterioration from those that do not. This investigation, carried out in a relatively short time and with a minimum financial investment, yielded a satisfactory assessment of the state of the environment at the regional and community scales, recognizing early indicators of deterioration. This approach may be particularly useful in rural regions that share many characteristics with La Montaña, such as critical environmental problems, extreme poverty, and insufficient background information about these issues. Literature Cited Aizen, A. M., and P. Feinsinger . 1994. Habitat fragmentation, native insect pollinators, and feral honey bees in Argentine "Chaco Serrano. ". Ecological Applications 4: 378–392. 10.2307/1941941 Google Scholar Angermeier, P. L., and J. R. Karr . 1994. Biological integrity versus biological diversity as policy directives. BioScience 44: 690–697. 10.2307/1312512 Web of Science®Google Scholar Arizpe, L. 1992. Cambio global, desarrollo y percepciones culturales. Ciencia 43: 115–119. Google Scholar Arrhenius, E. 1992. Population, development and environmental disruption—an issue on efficient natural-resource management. Ambio 21: 7–11. Google Scholar Barrow, C. J. 1994. Land degradation. Development and breakdown of terrestrial environments. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Beltrán, E. 1971. La deterioración ambiental, enfoque ecológico. Instituto Mexicano de Recursos Naturales Renovables, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Bilsborrow, R. E. 1993. Reflexiones metodológicas sobre las interrelaciones entre procesos demográficos y problemas del ambiente en áreas rurales de América Latina. 93–104 in H. Izazola and S. Lerner, editors. Población y ambiente, ¿nuevas interrogantes a viejos problemas? Sociedad Mexicana de Demografía, El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Bilsborrow, R. E., and P. DeLargy . 1991. Land use, migration and natural resource deterioration: the experience of Guatemala and the Sudan. 125–147 in K. David and M. S. Bernstam, editors. Resource and environment population: present knowledge, future options. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. Google Scholar Bilsborrow, R. E., and H. W. O. Okoth-Ogendo . 1992. Population-driven changes in land use in developing countries. Ambio 21: 36–45. Google Scholar Blaikie, P., and H. Brookfield . 1987. Land degradation and society. Methuen, London, England. Google Scholar Böjo, J. P. 1991. Economics and land degradation. Ambio 20: 75–79. Web of Science®Google Scholar Bojórquez, L. A., and E. Ongay . 1991. International lending and resource development in México. Can environmental quality be assured? Centro de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Bormann, F. H. 1990. Air pollution and temperate forest: creeping degradation. 25–44 in G. M. Woodwell, editor. The Earth in transition. Patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Boserup, E. 1981. Population and technological change: a study of long-term trends. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Google Scholar Bradshaw, A. P., D. A. Goode, and E. H. P. Thorp . 1986. Ecology and design in landscape. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, England. Google Scholar Browne, S. 1982. The environment of poverty. 224–237 in M. Hufschmidt and E. L. Hyman, editors. Economic approach to natural resource and environmental quality analysis. Tycooly, Dublin, Ireland. Google Scholar Carabias, J., and L. Arizpe . 1993. El deterioro ambiental: Cambios nacionales, cambios globales. 43–59 in A. Azuela, J. Carabias, E. Provencio, and G. Quadri, editors. Desarrollo sustentable. Hacia una política ambiental. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar CEPAL [Comisión Económica para América Latina]. 1981. Tesauro del medio ambiente para América Latina y el Caribe. Comisión Económica para América Latina, Centro Latinoamericano de Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile. Google Scholar Committee on the Applications of Ecological Theory to Environmental Problems. 1986. Ecological knowledge and environmental problem-solving; concepts and case studies. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA. Google Scholar Cruz, M. C., C. Meyer, R. Repetto, and R. Woodward . 1992. Population growth, poverty and environmental stress: frontier migration in the Philippines and Costa Rica. World Resource Institute, Washington, D.C., USA. Google Scholar Dahlgren, B. 1990. La Mixteca: su cultura e historia prehispánicas. Fourth edition. Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Dasgupta, P. 1992. Population, resources and poverty. Ambio 21: 95–101. Web of Science®Google Scholar David, K. 1991. Population and resources: fact and interpretation. 1–21 in K. David and M. S. Bernstam, editors. Resource and environment population: present knowledge, future options. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. Google Scholar Ehui, S. K., and T. W. Hertel . 1992. Testing the impact of deforestation on aggregate agricultural productivity. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 38: 205–218. 10.1016/0167-8809(92)90145-2 Web of Science®Google Scholar Falkenmark, M., and R. A. Suprapto . 1992. Population–landscape interactions in development: a water perspective to environmental sustainability. Ambio 21: 30–35. Google Scholar Fox, J. 1992. The problem of scale in community resource management. Environmental Management 16: 289–297. 10.1007/BF02400067 Web of Science®Google Scholar Fox, R., and I. Mehlman . 1992. Crowding out the future: world population growth,. U. S. immigration and pressures on natural resources. Federation for American Immigration Reform. Washington, D.C., USA. Google Scholar Franklin, J. F. 1993. Preserving biodiversity: species, ecosystems or landscapes? Ecological Applications 3202208. Google Scholar García-Barrios, R., L. García-Barrios, and E. Alvarez-Buylla . 1991. Lagunas: deterioro ambiental y tecnológico en el campo semiproletarizado. El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Glantz, M. H. editor 1977. Desertification. Environmental degradation in and around arid lands. Westview, Boulder, Colorado, USA. Google Scholar Gorham, E. 1990. Biotic impoverishment in northern peatlands. 65–98 in G. M. Woodwell, editor. The Earth in transition. Patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Graham, O. P. 1992. Survey of degradation in New South Wales, Australia. Environmental Management 2: 205–223. 10.1007/BF02393826 Web of Science®Google Scholar Helldén, U. 1991. Desertification—time for an assessment? Ambio 20372383. Google Scholar Izazola, H., and S. Lerner . editors 1993. Población y ambiente, ¿nuevas interrogantes a viejos problemas? Sociedad Mexicana de Demografía, El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Jean, M., and A. Bouchard . 1991. Temporal changes in wetland landscapes of a section of the St. Lawrence river, Canada. Environmental Management 15: 241–250. 10.1007/BF02393855 Web of Science®Google Scholar Karr, J. R. 1996. Ecological integrity and ecological health are not the same. 97–109 in P. Schulze, editor. Engineering within ecological constraints. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA. Google Scholar Karr, J. R., and E. W. Chu . 1995. Ecological integrity: reclaiming lost connections. 34–48 in L. Westra and J. Lemons, editors. Perspectives on ecological integrity. Kluwer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Google Scholar Kellman, M., R. Tackaberry, and J. Meave . 1996. The consequences of prolonged fragmentation: lessons from tropical gallery forests. 37–58 in J. Schelhas and R. Greenberg, editors. Forest patches in tropical landscapes. Island Press, Washington, D.C., USA. Google Scholar Kim, O., and P. van den Oever . 1992. Demographic transition and patterns of natural-resources use in the Republic of Korea. Ambio 21: 56–62. Web of Science®Google Scholar Landa, R. 1992. Evaluación regional del deterioro ambiental en La Montaña de Guerrero. Thesis. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Leff, E. 1990. Medio ambiente y desarrollo en México. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Porrúa, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Le Tacon, F., and J. Laker . 1990. Deforestation in the tropics and proposals to arrest it. Ambio 19: 372–378. Google Scholar Mahtab, F. U., and Z. Karim . 1992. Population and agricultural land use: towards a sustainable food production system in Bangladesh. Ambio 21: 50–55. Web of Science®Google Scholar Martínez, R. M., and J. R. Obregón . 1991. La Montaña de Guerrero: economía, historia y sociedad. Instituto Nacional Indigenista, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, México. Google Scholar Masera, O., M. J. Ordoñez, and R. Dirzo . 1992. Carbon emissions from deforestation in México: current situation and long-term scenarios. 1–26 in W. Makundi and J. Sathaye, editors. Carbon emission and sequestration in forest: case studies from seven developing countries. Summary. Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Report LBL-32665. University of California, Berkeley, California, USA. Google Scholar McGovern, T. H., G. Bigelow, T. Amorosi, and D. Russell . 1988. Northern islands, human error, and environmental degradation: a view of social and ecological change in the medieval North Atlantic. Human Ecology 16: 225–272. 10.1007/BF00888447 Web of Science®Google Scholar Mladenoff, D. J., M. A. White, J. Pastor, and T. R. Crow . 1993. Comparing spatial pattern in unaltered old-growth and disturbed forest landscapes. Ecological Applications 3: 294–306. 10.2307/1941832 PubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Myers, N. 1991. The world's forest and human populations: the environmental interconnections. 237–251 in K. David and M. S. Bernstam, editors. Resource and environment population: present knowledge, future options. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. Google Scholar Myers, N. 1992. Population–environment linkages: discontinuities ahead. Ambio 21: 116–118. Web of Science®Google Scholar Noss, R. F. 1987. From plant communities to landscape in conservation inventories: a look at the nature conservancy in USA. Biological Conservation 41: 11–37. 10.1016/0006-3207(87)90045-0 Web of Science®Google Scholar Olsson, K., and A. Rapp . 1991. Dryland degradation in central Sudan and conservation for survival. Ambio 20: 192–195. Web of Science®Google Scholar Ortíz, S. M., M. Anaya, and J. W. Estrada . 1994. Evaluación, cartografía y políticas preventivas de la degradación de la tierra. Colegio de Posgraduados, Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo and Comisión Nacional de Zonas Áridas, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar PAIR [Programa de Aprovechamiento Integral de Recursos Naturales]. 1992. Elementos para la incorporación de criterios ambientales a la planeación regional en La Montaña de Guerrero. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, Santiago, Chile. Google Scholar Pearce, D. 1990. Población, pobreza y medio ambiente. Pensamiento Iberoamericano 18: 223–258. Google Scholar Pickett, S. T. A., J. Kolasa, J. J. Armesto, and S. L. Collins . 1989. The ecological concept of disturbance and its expression at various hierarchical levels. Oikos 54: 129–136. 10.2307/3565258 Web of Science®Google Scholar Pickett, S. T. A., and P. S. White . editors 1985. The ecology of natural disturbances and patch dynamics. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida, USA. Google Scholar Pickup, G., G. Bastín, and V. Chewings . 1994. Remote-sensing-based condition assessment for nonequilibrium rangelands under large-scale commercial grazing. Ecological Applications 4: 497–517. 10.2307/1941952 Web of Science®Google Scholar Provencio, E., and J. Carabias . 1992. La gente y su medio en cuatro zonas ecológicas del campo mexicano. Seminario de Población y Medio Ambiente. Sociedad Mexicana de Demografía, Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico. Google Scholar Rubenson, S. 1991. Environmental stress and conflict in Ethiopian history: looking for correlations. Ambio 20: 179–182. Web of Science®Google Scholar Rykiel, E. J. 1985. Towards a definition of ecological disturbance. Australian Journal of Ecology 10: 361–365. 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1985.tb00897.x Web of Science®Google Scholar SEDESOL [Secretaría de Desarrollo Social], . 1994a. Plan de acción para combatir la desertificación en México (PACD-México). Secretaría de Desarrollo Social, Comisión Nacional de Zonas Áridas, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Google Scholar SEDESOL [Secretaría de Desarrollo Social], . 1994b. Informe de la situación general en materia de equilibrio ecológico y protección al ambiente 1993–1994. Secretaria de Desarrollo Social, Instituto Nacional de Ecología, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Sharitz, R. R., L. R. Boring, D. H. Van Lear, and J. E. Pinder, III . 1992. Integrating ecological concepts with natural resource management of southern forests. Ecological Applications 2: 226–237. 10.2307/1941857 PubMedWeb of Science®Google Scholar Shaw, P. 1992. The impact of population growth on environment: the debate heats up. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 12: 11–36. 10.1016/0195-9255(92)90003-G CASPubMedGoogle Scholar Spellerberg, I. F. 1981. Ecological evaluation for conservation. Edward Arnold, London, England. Google Scholar Toledo, C., J. Carabias, and E. Provencio . 1992. El manejo integrado de los recursos naturales y los precios del maíz: un estudio de caso en Alcozauca, Guerrero. 271–290 in C. Hewitt, editor. Reestructuración económica y subsistencia rural. El maíz y la crisis de los ochenta. El Colegio de México, UNRISD [Instituto de Investigaciones de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo Social, Centro Tepoztlán], Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Toledo, V., J. Carabias, C. Toledo, and C. González-Pacheco . 1989. La producción rural en México: alternativas ecológicas. Fundación Universo Veintiuno, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Tudela, F. editor 1989. La modernización forzada del trópico: el caso de Tabasco. Proyecto integrado del trópico. El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico. Google Scholar Underwood, A. 1994. On beyond BACI: sampling designs that might reliably detect environmental disturbances. Ecological Applications 4: 3–15. 10.2307/1942110 Web of Science®Google Scholar UNEP [United Nations Environmental Programme]. 1992a. Two decades of achievement and challenge. United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. Google Scholar Underwood, A. 1992b. Status of desertification and implementation of The United Nations Plan of Action to Combat Desertification. United Nations Environmental Programme, Nairobi, Kenya. Google Scholar Warford, J. 1989. Environmental management and economic policy in developing countries. 7–22 in G. Schramm and J. Warford, editors. Environmental management and economic development. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Google Scholar Woodwell, G. M. 1990. The Earth under stress: a transition to climatic instability raises questions about patterns of impoverishment. 3–8 in G. M. Woodwell, editor. The Earth in transition. Patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Woodwell, G. M., and R. A. Houghton . 1990. The experimental impoverishment of natural communities: effects of ionizing radiation on plant communities 1961–1976. 9–24 G. M. Woodwell, editor. The Earth in transition. Patterns and processes of biotic impoverishment. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Worster, D. 1988. The vulnerable Earth: toward a planetary history. 3–22 in D. Worster, editor. The ends of the Earth. Perspectives on modern environmental history. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Google Scholar Citing Literature Volume7, Issue1February 1997Pages 316-329 ReferencesRelatedInformation
Referência(s)