De montaña, milpa y cañaveral. Transformaciones percibidas de los paisajes en la costa de Chiapas

Abstract

Cultural services are a category of ecosystemic services consisting in the provision by the landscape of esthetic and identity values. The conceptual framework of ecosystemic services (ES) is proposed as a powerful approach to be considered in public environmental policies, currently oriented towards human wellbeing (Bennet et al., 2015; López-Santiago et al., 2014; De Groot et al., 2010; Chan et al., 2011; Fisher et al., 2009; Oropeza et al., 2015). But studies made about ecosystemic services have focused in biophysical and economic assessments, relegating cultural values, meanings, and preferences (Müller et al. 2010:2; Lamarque et al., 2011; Martín-López et al., 2014). Due to the importance of the perception by local population of the transformations of the cultural landscape in which they inhabit, in this writing we will hence focus in the cultural category of ES From a descriptive perspective, the landscape expresses the numerous interactions existing between society and the territory, its conformation being the result of natural and human factors reciprocally interacting through time. The abundant richness of natural resources of Mexico, and of the state of Chiapas, has been indiscriminately exploited along history, and more intensely so in recent times. Large-scale exploitation of resources has been justified as a mean for reaching to economic prosperity, depleting resources without concern for the immediate future. We herein present the case study of the ejido Tzinacal in the municipality of Huixtla in the state of Chiapas, that being located within the La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve becomes paradigmatic for studying the effects of the concurrence of conservation and development policies, as well as the perception of the population regarding changes in the landscapes produced as a consequence of application of such policies along time. The main objective of our research was to identify the perceptions of the population inhabiting the Biosphere Reserves regarding changes in the landscape. Tzinacal had a population of 635 inhabitants (319 men and 316 women). The locality belongs to the municipality of Huixtla. Its total surface area being then of 5,450 ha. The main productive activities in the ejido are agriculture and farming, fishing being a minor activity. The application of 23 semi-structured interviews allowed for identifying the attitudes and perceptions of the elder population regarding their landscapes and their relation with their surrounding environment. During the early 20th century the development of the region was imprinted by the railroad and the Pan-American Highway that opened the coastal region to the rest of Mexico and to Central America. The Coast of Chiapas region produces mainly maize, beans, sesame, rice, sugar cane, and fruits such as cantaloupe, watermelon, and pineapple mostly for self-consumption. Deforestation and land use change continue to intensely alter ecosystems, and the migratory processes accelerated by the expansion of the communications network lead to a process of transculturation and alteration of traditional models of appropriation of natural resources. In the last decades of the 20th century the cultivation of the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), sesame, rubber, and sugarcane was promoted through various governmental institutions, increasing the pressure upon local rural communities. The generalized discourse among farmers inhabiting the zone is in favor of development, regardless of environmental conservation. But there is also a feeling of longing for what was before. And it is not that the opinion of inhabitants is completely divided, a person can talk about the initiatives for planting sugarcane or palms, and later on be talking with nostalgia about how the forest and the animals in it used to be. The region began to be colonized having in mind settling, building houses, working the land, and forming a community. Influenced by governmental initiatives, local farmers began planting what was more profitable (rice, sesame, sugarcane, African oil palm). Grazing of cattle is a growing activity, but if management forms do not guarantee the functions and services of ecosystems within the protected area, ecosystems will be severely altered. All these processes have led to the destruction of the vegetation and the alteration of natural cycles -such as climatic cycles, which in turn is influenced by global processes-. We currently see in the area landscapes that have been degraded and lessened ecosystemic services; processes of landscape transformation that are perceived by local inhabitants (Barrasa and Reyes, 2011; Andrade 2012). Overall, the area needs of an alternative conservation and production program that is in accordance with the biophysical and cultural reality of the region.