Productive Restoration as a Tool for Socioecological Landscape Conservation: The Case of “La Montaña” in Guerrero, Mexico

Abstract

In the “La Montaña” region of Guerrero, Mexico, despite being a predominantly rural region, the conditions are unfavorable for agriculture due to steep slopes and highly seasonal climate. There is also severe degradation of natural resources. One of the ethnic groups inhabiting this region is a pre-Columbian group known as the Me’phaa. This social group has no access to health services, schools, paved roads, telecommunications, or electricity, and their situation has been exacerbated by the recent increase in militarization, social conflict, and violence. However, in this region, the indigenous nongovernmental organization Xuajin Me’Phaa has been working since February 2006 with relative success. In this chapter, we present the steps of participatory action research (PAR) carried out by our research group from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in two different dimensions: social and ecological. The main objectives of this research have been to develop projects to restore and protect forest remnants, increase crop production, and improve the quality of the landscape matrix by establishing agroforestry and agroecological systems, benefiting 990 Me’Phaa families. The work began with a social and geographic diagnosis of forest degradation, followed by evaluations of fuelwood consumption and of the sustainability of organic hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) production. Then, we established research experiments on productive restoration to improve crop productivity, ecosystem services, and landscape connectivity. Finally, we present a productive restoration project carried out by Xuajin Me’Phaa using their own resources as the most important result of participatory action research methods.