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Early Detection of Conflicts for the Management of Protected Areas: The Case of Charcoal Production in the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

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Abstract

Management of conservation conflicts is a challenge of growing relevance for the effectiveness of protected areas worldwide, particularly in the case of socially inclusive areas such as biosphere reserves. For a successful management of the protected area, is critical to consider the social use of natural resources carried out by local populations linked to reserves, especially in socio-ecological contexts facing potential conservation conflicts (i.e., conflicts that have not yet arisen). We addressed the importance of an early detection of potential conflicts through the study of artisanal charcoal production by Yucatec Mayan communities located in the zone of influence of a biosphere reserve in Northwest Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Through semi-structured interviews with charcoal producers and in-depth interviews with environmental authorities linked to the reserve, we discuss the advantages associated to early detection of potential conservation conflicts for biosphere reserves’ management.

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Acknowledgements

The first author extends acknowledgment to the PhD Program in Sustainability Sciences, UNAM “Doctorado en Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México”, and a PhD scholarship received from CONACYT, Mexico. This research was funded by UNAM—PAPIIT, grant number IN302517. We are very grateful to the people who participated and shared valuable information for this study. We thank Mary Ann Hall for the English language revision.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Antigua carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8701, Col. San José de la Huerta, Morelia, 58190, Michoacán, Mexico

    Malena Oliva & Eduardo García-Frapolli

  2. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A. C., El Haya, Xalapa, Veracruz, 91070, Mexico

    Luciana Porter-Bolland

  3. Departamento de Ecología Humana, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CINVESTAV-IPN), Unidad Mérida, México, Km. 6 antigua carretera a Progreso, Mérida, Yucatán, 97310, Mexico

    Salvador Montiel

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  1. Malena Oliva
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  2. Eduardo García-Frapolli
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Correspondence to Eduardo García-Frapolli.

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Oliva, M., García-Frapolli, E., Porter-Bolland, L. et al. Early Detection of Conflicts for the Management of Protected Areas: The Case of Charcoal Production in the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. Environmental Management 64, 52–63 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01170-x

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