Abstract

GARCIA-BARRIOS, Luis  and  GONZALEZ-ESPINOSA, Mario. Participatory ecological research supporting forest, agroforest and silvopastoral restoration in peasant territories. Recent experiences and challenges in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2017, vol.88, suppl., pp.129-140. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmb.2016.10.022.

Those of us who conduct forest and agroforest ecological research increasingly recognize the interaction between ecological and social processes and join multi and transdisciplinary research and action efforts involving multiple stakeholders. This has changed in various degrees our goals, concepts, scales, methods and practices. Ecological participatory forestry and agroforestry research (IPEFA) is conceived and practiced in many different ways, defined by the will of those who investigate and (or) the circumstances they face. Here we present and make a reflection of our direct experience in two IPEFA processes we have coordinated in the last decade in poor rural territories of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas: the upper basin of El Tablón River in the Biosphere Reserve La Sepultura (LGB), and the basins of the rivers Xelajú and Bacantón (High Grijalva), in the municipalities of Motozintla and Mazapa (MGE). We present achievements, but above all highlight some of the biggest challenges we have faced, and those roads that did not always lead to good results. We believe that several of these academic, social, and institutional challenges are shared by Mexican and international researchers that practices IPEFA and continually strive to overcome them.

Keywords : Participatory research; Forest restoration; Agroforestry; Sierra Madre de Chiapas; Ecology in Mexico.

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