Ejidos and Community Mapping: Evaluating Payments for Environmental Services in Mexico

Ejidos and Community Mapping: Evaluating Payments for Environmental Services in Mexico

Session: 
Resource Use and Management
Date and Time: 
Friday, 13 April, 2012 - 21:00 to 21:20
Author(s): 
Antilla, Stacey - Institute of Applied Science, University of North Texas
Dr. Bruce Hunter - Department of Geography, University of North Texas
Dra. Tizbe Teresa Arteaga Reyes - Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuaria y Rurales, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

The Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR) was implemented in 2003 in Mexico, in response to urban growth and demand for freshwater and forest resources.  A Payments for Hydrological Environmental Services program (PSAH) was developed by CONAFOR to both reduce the loss and increase forest restoration of while diminishing poverty in rural forested areas. However, the PSAH program has had very low participation in the rural ejido communities in many eligible areas, such as Nevado de Toluca National Park. Community members may not be inclined to participate in the program for a variety of reasons. A translation of personal accounts of the community members’ relationships with the land could reveal explanations for low participation. This presentation aims to share preliminary results of the survey and community participatory mapping project being used to enable ejidos to express and spatially depict their traditional resource use and values.