By Juan Jose Consejo | Project Leader
Oaxaca is the state with the greatest biological richness in the country. It possesses a vast ethnic diversity as well as a wide array of diverse cultural expressions. It also has one of the country’s highest rates of land-use change, resulting in the destruction of its ecosystems and the alteration of the hydrological cycle.There has been an erosion that is both natural and cultural. Coastal lagoons such as Manialtepec are amongst the ecosystems with this pressure.
Coastal ecosystems provide vital ecosystem services. For instance, mangroves act as natural flood-control systems and serve as barriers against hurricanes and saltwater intrusion; they provide refuge for flora and fauna; they function as feeding, sheltering, and nursery grounds for many species important to the fishing industry; they possess high aesthetic and recreational value; and they are crucial for tourism.
There is, of course, an additional historical-social reason to protect such heritage: the basin is part of the *Cha’Iyuu*, or “Land of the Word”—the territory of the Chatino people. Approximately 10,000 people speak the Chatino language. The elders of Cuixtla recount that the origins of the Chatino people lie at the Manialtepec Lagoon. The community has long cultivated the land (practicing *milpa* agriculture), engaged in fishing and hunting, and grown coffee through polyculture systems. Their cultural heritage possesses a profound ecological soundness from which we have much to learn.
What Shall we do about it?1. Implement an education, communication, and citizen science program 2. Promote effective governance and agreements among key stakeholders in the watershed, and3. Develop a program of household-level and productive solutions that contribute to the regeneration of the watershed.
We can achieve all of this with your help.
Links:
By Juan Jose Consejo | Project leader
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
