Social environmental perception and meaning of conservation in Zapotec communities of Oaxaca, Mexico

The present study focuses on local perceptions of conservation that have developed through the implementation of the Voluntary Designated Areas for Conservation (VDAC) in Mexican territories where the Zapotec culture prevails.... [ view full abstract ]

The present study focuses on local perceptions of conservation that have developed through the implementation of the Voluntary Designated Areas for Conservation (VDAC) in Mexican territories where the Zapotec culture prevails. It was carried out from the theoretical approach of the socio-environmental perception. The results indicate that conservation is a new word for the Zapotec that is neither fully nor always understood; it implies a different space to those local spaces where social and cultural relationships of the community occur; it is exclusionary because it forbids the use of certified areas (VDAC). Moreover, our study registered local words in indigenous language similar to conservation, which refer to an integral cycle of care-have-use, which is related to the local traditions and worldview; have is seen as a responsibility given that the use of the territory is mainly collective.

Key Words: Meaning, Conservation, Environmental perception, Zapotec, Community conservation.