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 Professor and Dept. Head, Colorado State University, USA; during the Special Event "The Socio-Economics of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought" during the WEF Annual Meeting 2011 in Davos Switzerland

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

2. 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

4. Overgrazing lands

5. Exploiting forests and other vegetation for fuel, consumption, and sales

6. Adopting poor water management and irrigation practices

12. Channelizing Waterways Chokes the Life From Estuaries and Ruins Fisheries

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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)

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

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

22. 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

23. Conservation Leadership Specialization - HDNR