Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique

Biodiversity is a fundamental property of life and an essential component of ecosystem processes that regulate environmental conditions, provide the natural resources that sustain human societies and, particularly, agricultural food production. The conservation of a significant portion of biodiversi...

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Main Authors: Enrique J. Jardel Peláez, Sergio H. Graf Montero, Eduardo Santana C., Ricardo Ávila Palafox
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Laboratoire Éco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie 2016-12-01
Series:Revue d'ethnoécologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1426
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author Enrique J. Jardel Peláez
Sergio H. Graf Montero
Eduardo Santana C.
Ricardo Ávila Palafox
author_facet Enrique J. Jardel Peláez
Sergio H. Graf Montero
Eduardo Santana C.
Ricardo Ávila Palafox
author_sort Enrique J. Jardel Peláez
collection DOAJ
description Biodiversity is a fundamental property of life and an essential component of ecosystem processes that regulate environmental conditions, provide the natural resources that sustain human societies and, particularly, agricultural food production. The conservation of a significant portion of biodiversity depends on the persistence of traditional farming systems. The case of the Biosphere Reserve Sierra de Manantlán (SMBR), a mountainous region of western Mexico, shows both the potential and limitations of protected areas to conserve agro-biodiversity, i.e. the variety of both cultivated and wild species, and the different agro-ecosystems and associated habitats in the rural landscape. The conservation of the téosinte Zea diploperennis and other wild relatives of cultivated plants, of land-races of traditional crops such as corn and other species and habitats associated with the agricultural landscape, has been one of the goals of the SMBR since its foundation 25 years ago. But peasant farming systems, of which depends the maintenance of agro-biodiversity, have undergone a process of transformation due to : cultural, economic, social and demographic changes in agrarian communities, economic development policies, pressures on the commercial exploitation of natural resources (mineral, forest and phytogenetic resources) and new forms of marginalization. The conservation of agro-biodiversity has been a marginal issue in conservation policy focused on the protection of wild species and wilderness. Although the biosphere reserve management approach integrates conservation goals with the sustainable use of natural resources for local development, currently there is a downward trend towards the conventional model of nature protection excluding or limiting human activities and imposing land use regulations with direct costs to peasant landowners that accentuate their disadvantage. Therefore the design and implementation of conservation programs should provide instruments to offset the exceptional conditions created by protected areas, and to implement actions to strengthen the communal institutions, to promote the creation of effective participatory mechanisms for reserve management, and to contribute to capacity building, recovery of traditional knowledge and sustainable resource management techniques and the design of new forms of land management that allow conservation of ecosystems and agro-biodiversity, food self-sufficiency and improvement of the living conditions of the rural population. Peasant agriculture offers opportunities to implement alternative forms of sustainable agricultural production and agro-biodiversity conservation compatible with the protection of nature.
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spelling doaj-art-eaa607ebcd9c481e8aeea4df5c966b762025-02-05T16:25:24ZengLaboratoire Éco-anthropologie et EthnobiologieRevue d'ethnoécologie2267-24192016-12-01310.4000/ethnoecologie.1426Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, MexiqueEnrique J. Jardel PeláezSergio H. Graf MonteroEduardo Santana C.Ricardo Ávila PalafoxBiodiversity is a fundamental property of life and an essential component of ecosystem processes that regulate environmental conditions, provide the natural resources that sustain human societies and, particularly, agricultural food production. The conservation of a significant portion of biodiversity depends on the persistence of traditional farming systems. The case of the Biosphere Reserve Sierra de Manantlán (SMBR), a mountainous region of western Mexico, shows both the potential and limitations of protected areas to conserve agro-biodiversity, i.e. the variety of both cultivated and wild species, and the different agro-ecosystems and associated habitats in the rural landscape. The conservation of the téosinte Zea diploperennis and other wild relatives of cultivated plants, of land-races of traditional crops such as corn and other species and habitats associated with the agricultural landscape, has been one of the goals of the SMBR since its foundation 25 years ago. But peasant farming systems, of which depends the maintenance of agro-biodiversity, have undergone a process of transformation due to : cultural, economic, social and demographic changes in agrarian communities, economic development policies, pressures on the commercial exploitation of natural resources (mineral, forest and phytogenetic resources) and new forms of marginalization. The conservation of agro-biodiversity has been a marginal issue in conservation policy focused on the protection of wild species and wilderness. Although the biosphere reserve management approach integrates conservation goals with the sustainable use of natural resources for local development, currently there is a downward trend towards the conventional model of nature protection excluding or limiting human activities and imposing land use regulations with direct costs to peasant landowners that accentuate their disadvantage. Therefore the design and implementation of conservation programs should provide instruments to offset the exceptional conditions created by protected areas, and to implement actions to strengthen the communal institutions, to promote the creation of effective participatory mechanisms for reserve management, and to contribute to capacity building, recovery of traditional knowledge and sustainable resource management techniques and the design of new forms of land management that allow conservation of ecosystems and agro-biodiversity, food self-sufficiency and improvement of the living conditions of the rural population. Peasant agriculture offers opportunities to implement alternative forms of sustainable agricultural production and agro-biodiversity conservation compatible with the protection of nature.https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1426traditional agricultureagro-biodiversityprotected areabiological conservationZea diploperennis
spellingShingle Enrique J. Jardel Peláez
Sergio H. Graf Montero
Eduardo Santana C.
Ricardo Ávila Palafox
Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
Revue d'ethnoécologie
traditional agriculture
agro-biodiversity
protected area
biological conservation
Zea diploperennis
title Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
title_full Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
title_fullStr Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
title_full_unstemmed Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
title_short Biodiversité et viabilité de l'agriculture paysanne dans la Réserve de Biosphère Sierra de Manantlán, Mexique
title_sort biodiversite et viabilite de l agriculture paysanne dans la reserve de biosphere sierra de manantlan mexique
topic traditional agriculture
agro-biodiversity
protected area
biological conservation
Zea diploperennis
url https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/1426
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