Rights, pressures and conservation in forest regions of Mexico

Abstract

The drivers of environmental degradation and the strategies to counter them are the subjects of heated debate. Several conceptual and policy approaches consider the key factors of this degradation to be the weakness and instability of property rights over natural resources. The commons perspective, on the other hand, emphasizes the viability and potential of the self-governance of shared resources such as forests. This perspective calls for a better understanding of the roles of local users and their institutions - Understood as "rules in use" - with regard to natural resources (Ostrom, 1991; McKean, 2000; Berkes, 2006; McCay, 2007). In this literature, collective action is understood as cooperation and coordination to solve collective dilemmas related to the management of the commons (Cárdenas, 2008; Meinzen-Dick, 2010). The influence of the commons perspective goes beyond academia, gaining recognition among some international funders, environmental agencies and practitioners. It follows the repeated failures of previous efforts of international aid to halt deforestation through the support of governmental agencies.