IP5 – JACS ACCUrban/Peri-Urban and Highland/Lowland Syndrome

Context

Key Issue 4:

Environmental Risk, Development and Urbanisation

Results until May, 2005

Main Research Questions (for Phase I: 2001-

2005)

What are the social practices that (rural and urban) actors implement

with regard to natural resource management?

How do these social practices relate to public policies and

sustainable regional development initiatives?

What are the effects of urban-rural interactions on natural resource

management?

What is the potential of discussion platforms for reaching consensus

among the stakeholders concerning sustainable regional

development priorities?

Key Issue AdressedThe interaction between urbanisation and natural resource

management. Research examines how actors in rural and urban areas

use and/or manage natural resources, and how this results in

transformation of space and influences sustainable regional

development

Research Project

Integrated analysis of the impact of urbanisation on natural

resource management in the lower Ayuquila Watershed,

Western Mexico Senior Researchers/Coordinators: Peter Gerritsen and Claudia Ortiz/Research assistant:

Alma Lomelí, DERN-IMECBIO, University of Guadalajara

13 students participating: 2 Ph.D.-, 6 M.Sc.- and 5 B.Sc.-students

Main Scientific interlocutor: Working Group Río Ayuquila (DERN-DRBSM)

Main Non Scientific Interlocutor: Intermunicipal Initiative for Environmental Governance

Objectives

1. Analyse natural resource perceptions and strategies of different actors in the watershed

1. Analyse core problems related to urbanisation and natural resource management in watershed

1. Analyse the institutional context for mitigating localised effects of global change

1. Develop mitigation strategies and concrete recommendations to strengthen existing negotiation platforms for sustainable regional development

1. Develop theoretical framework applicable to watersheds with similar problematic in JACS-ACC

Study Area: Ayuquila River Watershed

Research aims at generating socioeconomic and applied

ecological information for sustainable development actions

through the intermunicipal initiative

It is part of a strategic alliance between eight Municipalities,

the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and DERN-

IMECBIO as an academic institution

Ph.D. Thesis

In progress:

1. Integrated water resources management in the Ayuquila watershed of

western Mexico: limits and potential in the municipality of El Grullo.

Cherryl André de la Porte/ LaSUR-INTER-ENAC-EPFL

2. Land use changes and transnational migration in Western Mexico.

Silvia Hostettler / LaSUR-INTER-ENAC-EPFL

Completed:

1. Riverbank vegetation in the farm landscape. Martijn Snoep /

University of Wageningen, The Netherlands2. The road to Margaritaville: expansion of agave cultivation and

power dynamics in Southern Jalisco, Mexico. Sara Bowen/University of Wisconsin, USA

In progress:3. Urban and rural actors´ perceptions of environmental

degradation in the Ayuquila watershed. Astrid Fritschi/University of Zürich, Switzerland/IP6

4. Land-use and transnational migration in western Mexico. Brigitte Portner, University of Bern, Switserland/IP1

5. Urban growth in the municipality of Autlán: environmental risk and potential risks and potentials. Claudia Patricia Rámirez Jiménez/University of Guadalajara

6. Urbanisation and economic dynamics in the municipality of El Grullo. Martín Campos/University of Guadalajara

Master‘s Thesis:

Bachelor‘s thesis:

Completed:

1. Institutions, inter-institutional coordination and sustainability. Liliana Castañeda/University of Guadalajara

2. The role of negotiation platforms in sustainable regional development. Daniela Thueler/University of Bern, Switzerland/IP1

In progress:

3. Impact of urbanisation on the natural resource management strategies of farmers. Humberto Bustos/University of Guadalajara

4. Urbanisation and river vegetation. Tomas Rodríguez/University of Guadalajara

5. Globalisation, urbanisation and agave farmer strategies. Ana Livier Duran/University of Guadalajara

Other research activities:

Completed:

1. General characterization of the Ayuquila watershed. Peter Gerritsen et al./University of Guadalajara

2. Integrative framework of Key Issue 4. Peter Gerritsen et al. /University of Guadalajara

3. Analysis of actors in the Ayuquila watershed. Peter Gerritsen et al./University of Guadalajara

4. Quantitative assesment of agave expansion in the Ayuquila watershed. Peter Gerritsen et al./University of Guadalajara

5. Regional products: local answers to economic globalization?Peter Gerritsen et al. /University of Guadalajara

In progress:

6. Ecology and management of Ayuquila riverbank vegetation. Claudia Ortiz et al./University of Guadalajara

PAMS

Completed:

1. Strengthening local capacity in the management of the Ayuquila watershed in western Mexico (DERN-IMECBIO, University of Guadalajara)

2. Strengthening local agriculture for regional sustainability in the state of Jalisco, Mexico (RASA)

Integration of Different Studies

Transformation of space in the urban context

Transfor-mation of

space in the rural

context

Transformation of social

practices in the rural context

Transfor-mation of

social practices in the urban context

Globalisation & Urbanisation

Urbanisation & Globalisation

Prevailing natural

scientific approach

Prevailing social

scientific approach

Actors, resource management, local responses

Ecology, management & river vegetation

Institutions,

policies and platforms

Land use change

and driving forces

Postgraduate studies:

2 Ph.D. completed: 2 in progress 4 M.Sc. Completed: 2 completed, 4 in progress 4 M.Sc. Completed: 2 completed, 1 at 90% and 2 in progress

Outputs by May, 1, 2005 (Phase I: 2001-2005)

Publications:

5 Technical reports completed: 4 completed and 1 at 90% Draft of book on local responses to economic globalisation: completed 2 Scientific articles submitted: 3 in press, 1 submitted

Congresses and workshops:

3 National congresses attended: 7 congresses attended

3 International congresses attended: 10 congresses attended

K.I.4 Results at IP5, Key Issue and Project

Level1) Interrelations between globalization, urbanization and

transformation of space (IP5 level)

2) Core problems related to urbanization and natural resource management (Project level)

3) Social practices of actors with regard to natural resource management (IP5, Key Issue and project level question)

4) Effects of urban-rural relations on natural resource management (Key Issue level, project level)

5) Public policies and regional sustainable development initiatives (IP5, Key Issue and project level question)

6) Relations between bottom-up and top-down dynamics (IP5 level)

1) Interrelations between globalization, urbanization and

transformation of space (IP5 level)

Generally speaking, globalisation is a far-advanced process in the study area;

many local effects can be identified

Globalisation and urbanisation: influence on social practices of rural actors

(use/management of natural resources) and contribute to the transformation

of space

The relation between globalisation, urbanisation and the transformation of

space is incomplete and a highly differentiated process

But:

A “re-ruralisation” (or rurbanisation) process, even though still weak can also

be observed amongst several actors in the region

Endogenous (historically embedded) processes also have influenced the

social practices of actors and the transformations of space that have taken

place in the region

2) Core problems related to urbanization and natural

resource management (Project level)

Contradictory policies and weak formal institutions at different levels, due to

the extreme complex nature of the Mexican institutional context

Governance failures, insufficient empowerment and decentralisation, due to

lacking policies “that work“ and deficient capabilities of human resources

Poverty and livelihood insecurity, in the mountaineous municipalities of the

watershed

Poor water supply and environmental sanitation, in the predominant urban

municipalities

Degradation of land, soil and vegetation cover, which can be observed in all

municipalities

Degradation of forests and other natural habitats, which can be observed in

all municipalities

3) Social practices of actors with regard to natural

resource management (IP5, Key Issue and project level

question) Social practices are highly differentiated, vary according to actors and their

specific socio-material characteristics

Both endogenous and exogenous factors determine social practices of actors

Different degrees of sustainability can be distinguished

Number of new strategies (of urban and rural actors) for countervailing

negative effects of globalisation and urbanisation

Strategies based on logic of “maintenance”, “transformation and

adaptation”, “resistance and opposition”, depending of degree of

urbanization in the watershed

“Transformation and Adaptation”: adoption of agroindustrial land-use

practices/transnational migration

“Maintenance”, “Resistance and Opposition”: elaboration of “regional

products”/organic farming practices

Actors often combine different logics underlying their strategies, except for

organic farmers

4) Effects of urban-rural relations on natural resource

management (Key Issue level, project level)

Urban-rural relations offer both possibilities and limitations for natural

resource management, depending on the degree of urbanization in the

Ayuquila watershed

Relative distance of rural actors to urban centers influences impact of

globalisation and urbanisation

Urban-rural interactions are not to be understood as lineal, or concentric, but

as highly differentiated and complex

Urban growth affects rural areas through production of waste and pollution of

water

Unplanned urban growth shows tendencies towards urban sprawl syndrome,

with negative effects on surrounding rural areas

Biological and agro-biological diversity is negatively influenced by

transformation processes of urban and rural space, especially near the

Ayuquila river

5) Public policies and regional sustainable development

initiatives (IP5, Key Issue and project level question)

Many different federal and state policies coincide in the Ayuquila watershed

Contradictions exists between institutions and policies

Decentralization looks for empowering municipalities, but these lack funds

and human resources

Periodic political changes undermines effectiveness of institutions and

policies

Processes that lead to transformation of space go beyond regional

boundaries, which demands inter-institutional coordination

Discussion platforms : effective mechanisms for new environmental

governance joining urban and rural actors

Effectiveness of regional negotiation platforms for natural resources

management: relates to active participation of stakeholders (urban/rural),

and political dynamics (federal/state level)

Representation of no-institutional actors is weak or even absent in existing

negotiation platforms

6) Relations between bottom-up and top-down dynamics

(IP5 level)

Discrepancia exist between top-down and bottom-up level.

Currently, this relation is exogenous and activity-, or

information driven

Excess of “consultation”-culture and lack of “participation”-

culture amongst local actors

Participation of local actors is sought for by incorporating

them in existing (top-down) frameworks

Empowerment and bottom-up dynamics exist amongst

small group of actors, but within an institutional vacuum