Author(s)

S. E. VALLE-GARCÍA

Abstract

In México, since the beginning of the 21st century, the government has established a scheme of environmental policies in socially poor and environmentally rich areas like the Lacandon Jungle. The policies concern Protected Natural Areas (PNAs), Payments for Ecosystem Services (PESs) and sustainable activities such as ecotourism. In order to understand the socio-territorial impact, a comparative analysis was made of three communities with different governmental initiatives, using ethnographic methods – life stories, in-depth interviews and participant observations – and cartography methods with remote sensing analysis of spot images. The results show that, when the level of cash transfers is high, the subsidies cause the beneficiaries to be more dependent on the government for their livelihoods; the restricted areas have led to changes in the landscape, causing high rates of deforestation in small areas and finally, well-being is also directly correlated with social capital. However, at the same time, there is a high level of social polarization.

Keywords

environmental policies, policies’ impacts and socio-territorial changes