An Approach to Understanding Community Members' Perceptions of Climate Change in Three Rural Indigenous Mexican Communities
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An approach to understanding community members' perceptions of climate change in three rural indigenous Mexican communities Item Type Other Authors Kent, Tricia Download date 02/10/2021 18:17:05 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/7967 AN APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITY MEMBERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THREE RURAL INDIGENOUS MEXICAN COMMUNITIES By Tricia Kent A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Natural Resource Management in Natural Resource Management University of Alaska Fairbanks M ay 2017 APPROVED: Janice C. Dawe, Committee Chair Anthony F. Gasparro, Co-Chair Valerie A. Barber, Committee Member Joshua Greenberg, Chair Department of Natural Resource Management i Abstract This case study describes an approach to understanding community members’ perceptions of climate change in three rural indigenous communities in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Seven participatory tools were applied to assess community members’ experience of current climate change conditions, the challenges posed by changing conditions, and their communities’ efforts to adapt. Tools, such as the Stratified Timeline, that provided community members time to work in groups and reflect on the questions they were asked allowed them to better express their knowledge of climate change than tools that isolated community members or used technical language such as the Pre and Post- Test. Although community members were generally aware of changes in their climate, they were unfamiliar with the concept of adaptation or of how certain activities could help them adapt. Through their responses to these seven tools, community members expressed their belief that the climate is in fact changing in their region of Oaxaca. The biggest concern in all three communities was the lack of seasonal rains, which was affecting their ability to farm and ensure food security. Some adaptations, provided through soil and water conservation projects, were being undertaken in the region through governmental entities such as the Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve, but there is great need and much interest in having more of these types of projects implemented, to help communities adapt to climate change. iv Table of Contents Page Title P ag e............................................................................................................................................................... Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................. iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................. viii List of Tables .....................................................................................................................................................xi List of Appendices ......................................................................................................................................... xiii Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................................xv Chapter 1 Setting ............................................................................................................................................ 17 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................17 2. National and Legal C ontext .....................................................................................................19 1. Resilient Livelihoods ....................................................................................................19 2. Disaster Risk Reduction ...............................................................................................20 3. Capacity Development ................................................................................................. 21 4. Addressing Underlying Causes of Vulnerability ................................................... 22 3. Protected Areas of Mexico .......................................................................................................22 4. Regional Context: The Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve ...................................23 5. Background: Demographic and Environmental Factors ...................................................24 1. Concepcion Papalo ........................................................................................................ 24 2. San Pedro Jocotipac ......................................................................................................25 3. Valerio Trujano ..............................................................................................................25 6. Background: Current Manifestations of Climate Change ................................................ 26 7. Environmental Education/ Communication in Mexico ..................................................... 27 1. Federal Level...................................................................................................................27 2. State Level....................................................................................................................... 27 3. Inside Natural Protected Areas................................................................................... 28 8. Goals of the Research ................................................................................................................ 29 v Chapter 2 Methods ...........................................................................................................................................31 1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................................31 2. Participatory Analysis Investigation ............................................................................................. 31 1. Participatory Analysis Research in Mexico’s Protected Areas ..................................33 3. Investigation Tools and Techniques ............................................................................................. 34 1. Tool 1: Guiding Questions Local Level .......................................................................... 34 2. Tool 2: Stratified Timeline................................................................................................. 35 3. Tool 3: Pairwise Ranking....................................................................................................36 4. Tool 4: Majority Vote ..........................................................................................................37 5. Tool 5: Pre and Post- Test...................................................................................................37 6. Tool 6: Drought Survey ......................................................................................................38 7. Tool 7: Interviews with Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve Staff ...................39 Chapter 3 Results ............................................................................................................................................. 41 1. Introduction .........................................................................................................................................41 2. Tool 1: Guiding Questions Local Level ....................................................................................... 41 1. Local Resilient Livelihoods ...............................................................................................41 2. Local Disaster Risk Reduction .......................................................................................... 42 3. Local Capacity D evelopm ent .............................................................................................43 4. Addressing Underlying Causes of Local Vulnerability ...............................................44 3. Tool 2: Stratified Timeline.............................................................................................................. 44 4. Tool 3: Pairwise Ranking.................................................................................................................46 5. Tool 4: Majority Vote .......................................................................................................................49 6. Tool 5: Pre and Post- Test................................................................................................................51 7. Tool 6: Drought Survey ................................................................................................................... 51 8. Tool 7: Interviews with Tehuacan-Cuicatlan Biosphere Reserve Staff ................................ 55 Chapter 4 Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 57 1. Discussion of Tools...........................................................................................................................57 1. Tool 1: Guiding Questions Local Level .........................................................................