Socio-economic Impacts of Land Degradation and the Need for Leadership for A Complex World: A Case Study in Southern Mexico by Michael J. Manfredo

Socio-economic Impacts of Land Degradation and the Need for Leadership for A Complex World:
A Case Study in Southern Mexico

97% of Mexico’s Lands Are Experiencing Land Degradation
60% is Severely Degraded
2250 Sq. KM of Are Abandoned Each Year
Land Degradation Key To Human Migration
Source: Risk of Human-Induced Desertification
http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/dsrtrisk.html

Causes of Degradation
Clearing and cultivating lands unsuitable for agriculture/ inadequate precautions against erosion
Overgrazing lands
Exploiting forests and other vegetation for fuel, consumption, and sales
Adopting poor water management and irrigation practices
Urban expansion, mining, and public works.

- HALF THE POPULATION IN MEXICO LIVES IN POVERTY, ONE FIFTH LIVES IN EXTREME POVERTY
- LAND DEGRADATION CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANLY TO THE 900,000 PERSON
MIGRATION THAT OCCURS IN MEXICO ANNUALLY – (5.3 MILLION UNDOCUMENTED
MEXICANS IN THE U.S.)
MIGRATION AND LAND DEGREDATION ARE PROBLEMS BORNE FROM MANY COMPLEX FORCES
WE NEED “BRUNDTLAND LEADERS”

Example From
Chiapas and Sierra Madre Region
“The Pleistocene Refuge”
Source: Risk of Human-Induced Desertification
http://soils.usda.gov/use/worldsoils/mapindex/dsrtrisk.html

Channelizing Waterways Chokes the Life From Estuaries and Ruins Fisheries

Traditional Agriculture: Milpa – Mayan form of agriculture intercropping of maize, squash, legumes with rotation of forest fallow.
Emerging Form: Procampo – Government policy gives subsides per hectare (867 pesos). Based on acres in production in 1993. Had to crop every year. Expanding agricultural area for staple crops. Leading to deforestation and degradation.

International
Policy (Free
Trade, Migration
Drug)
Finance,
Investment,
Development
Assistance
Global
Economic
Conditions,
Market Prices
Ebbs and
Flows of
Political
Response
Social and
Power
Resource
Imbalance
Agricultural
Policy of
(Price control to
Subsidies)
Individual
Conditions
Wealth
or poverty,
resources
and ability
Land
Tenure
And traditions
Specific
Land Use,
Livelihood
Decisions
Migration
Degradation
Ecological Changes Affecting Productivity and Sustainability

A Systemic Approach: Creating A Generation of Leaders
Who Understand Complexity
“No one great leader can fix this nest of problems…We need thousands of Susan B. Anthonys, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther Kings, CeasarChavezes, Franklin Roosevelts, Eleanor Roosevelts…
We will need champions by the truckload”. Van Jones 2008, The Green Collar Economy
Van Jones in The Green Collar Economy (2008)

Conservation Leadership Through Learning
3 Main Components
(1) Integrated, Problem-based Education
(2) Learning Community
(3)Multi-level Perspectives

We need leaders who…
think differently…
embrace complexity…
and see the human and environmental condition as one.

Synergistic Learning to Promote Systems Thinking in Action
4. Integrated systemsunderstanding
EnvironmentalProblems
1. Framing
the problem
5. Systems thinking drives solutions
6. Monitoring & evaluation
3. Bracketed relationships
2. Fundamentals

Conservation Leadership Specialization - HDNR

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Socio-economic Impacts of Land Degradation and the Need for Leadership for A Complex World: A Case Study in Southern Mexico by Michael J. Manfredo

by Global Risk Forum GRFDavos on Jan 28, 2011

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Socio-economic Impacts of Land Degradation and the Need for Leadership for A Complex World: A Case Study in Southern Mexico by Michael J. Manfredo — Presentation Transcript