Anecdote about conservation: sociocultural importance of the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve

In 1924, the National University of Mexico inaugurated a degree in Biology. That same year, young Helia Bravo Hollis signed up. Years later, she would become the first Mexican to receive the degree of biologist. Throughout his life, he showed great devotion to botany, specifically, to a family of plants native to the American continent: cacti. In 1937 I published The cactaceae of Mexico, a compendium showing the variety of cacti in different areas of the country, including, the Tehuacán Valley and Cuicatlán. Throughout his life, he described new species of cacti -some even endemic to the region- and worked at the Institute of Biology of the UNAM, where he participated in the founding and management of the Botanical Garden. Thanks largely to their work, the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán Valley eventually became a Mexican emblem of conservation, under the category and recognition of Biosphere Reserve and Mixed World Heritage.

On September 26, 2001, Helia Bravo died, four days before her 100th birthday. In his honor and because of his work in the now Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, which has been fundamental to the knowledge of biodiversity, the Botanical Garden within the Reserve bears his name. Helia's inference in the Reserve goes far beyond just describing and naming new species of cacti; her work and recognition lies in the vision she reflected in a Mexico where there was little interest in studying semi-desert ecosystems, much less in protecting and conserving them. Nowadays, we appreciate the determination he once had, that if it weren't for his expensive work, that essential part of our country's biocultural heritage, which is reflected in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve, would not be possible.

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The Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve (RBTC) is one of the 44 Biosphere Reserves within Mexican territory and was declared on September 11, 1998 during Ernesto Zedillo's six-year term. It has an area of 490,186.7 hectares, and is located southeast of Puebla and northwest of Oaxaca, covering 20 and 31 municipalities respectively. The area includes different ecosystems such as xerophilous scrub, tropical deciduous forest, grassland, coniferous forest, mesophilic mountain forest, among others. Different ecological studies have made it possible to record high levels of biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna, in many cases with the presence of endemic species. Within the RBTC, there are species of columnar cacti that are unique on the planet, such as the Roof ceiling (Neobuxbaumia tetetzo), the cartons and the organs (Cephalocereus trajani, Neobuxbaumia mezcalaensis, among other species). In the areas that correspond to the low deciduous jungle, a biological corridor is formed in which the presence of large carnivorous mammals such as the jaguar, puma, tigrillo and lynx has been recorded.

However, it is important to note that these conservation models are the result of a long history of public policies surrounding the environment and the development of ecological sciences (Urquiza, 2019). In addition, not only are they important in so far as they allow us to preserve ecosystems, avoid practices that destroy them and restore natural regions, but they have a sociocultural importance that can be reflected on several levels and which are, above all, opportunities for human groups to value these spaces, learn the reasons behind conservation and seek ways of relating to nature that don't cause devastation. It is clear that these processes are somewhat complex and it is not enough to state them in decrees and management plans. The participation of local communities, scientific communities and the general public is essential. In the case of the RBTC, there are several elements that allow us to distinguish the sociocultural importance of this type of Protected Natural Areas. Unlike other ANPs, such as National Parks, Sanctuaries or Natural Monuments, Biosphere Reserves promote sustainable development and participation projects, since it is common for communities to live within the Reserve - a situation that does not occur as often or easily within other conservation categories. Another characteristic of RBs is that, although they can be named by the Government, many of them belong to a global network of Reserves, within the program Man and the Biosphere (MAB) in collaboration with UNESCO; the RBTC is part of that program.

Conservation is not a homogenous project.

Its different modalities work for different purposes.

It is important to remember that Biological diversity is always linked to cultural diversity. In other words, the different human groups that inhabit certain ecosystems establish links with the environment, generate different practices with which they take advantage of the elements of nature that surround them and give them meaning. In the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán area, different peoples have historically coexisted: Nahuas, Popoloca, Cuicatecos, Mixtecs, Mazatecos, Chinantecos, and others. Since ancient times, these peoples have developed different ways of domesticating plant species such as corn and amaranth. The biological and social scientific communities have termed this set of knowledge and practices as biocultural heritage.

Within the RBTC there are also different archaeological remains that have served to learn about the historical management of these crops. This is the case of the canals, wells, aqueducts and dams with which ancient peoples managed their water resources in the driest areas of the region. These remains of material culture are considered to be among the oldest in the American continent and were a condition of possibility for the establishment of ancient agricultural peoples. You can also observe ancient methods of harvesting salt, especially in the Zapotitlán area. The fact that these spaces are inside the RBTC has allowed them to be preserved and Have allowed us to better understand the processes between culture and nature.

In fact, these biocultural features were sufficient arguments for the World Heritage Committee to register the RBTC as a Mixed Site - of both cultural and natural importance - on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018:

The valley is one of the main centers of diversification of cacti, a botanical family in serious danger around the world. The site is home in particular to the dense columnar cacti forests on the planet, which model a unique landscape also shaped by the presence of magueyes, yuccas and oaks. The archaeological remains also reveal a process of technical evolution that reflects the early domestication of vegetables. The valley also has an exceptional water management system [...] one of the oldest on the continent and allowed the sedentarization of communities that lived from agriculture (UNESCO, 2018).

As is the case in the different types of Protected Natural Areas, the social and cultural environment has been integrated into their management programs. Both to generate, rescue and disseminate “knowledge, practices and technologies, traditional or new, that allow the preservation, decision-making and sustainable use of the biodiversity of the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve”, and for “the active participation of surrounding communities that generate the valuation of environmental services, through identity, dissemination and education for the conservation of the biodiversity they contain” (CONANP, 2013). This is a trait that distinguishes, as mentioned previously, the different ANPs and their conservation programs. That is to say, Conservation Is Not a Homogenous Project. Their different modalities work for different purposes, including communities at different levels and focus on specific elements of the ecological environment on which they work.

In a concrete way, efforts and experiences can be observed that materialize what is contained in the decrees and programs. An important field is so-called ecotourism in which certain areas of the RBTC are open to the general public. Areas such as the Sabino Canyon in Santa María Tecomavaca, the dinosaur tracks in San José Raya and the aforementioned “Helia Bravo Hollis” Botanical Garden they are points of contact between the public and the Reserve. Although the concept of ecotourism has been constantly questioned for various reasons, especially because it wants to project traditional models of tourism and consumption to natural spaces, it is an area of opportunity for the dissemination of biodiversity and environmental education. For example, the Botanical Garden is assumed to be a space for education and dissemination of biodiversity On site.

A pressing situation is the scarcity of water in the region. As it is an arid area, water resources are often limited. Although there are social organizations whose objectives are to carry out projects with neighboring localities in order to capture water and avoid the scarcity of this resource, there is no proper management of wastewater and wastewater, which is usually discarded in water bodies and ravines, generating significant levels of pollution and constituting a latent risk to the environment and community health. Faced with this problem, work has been undertaken for the detection and conservation of aquifers within the RBTC (Amayo, 2022).

Some of the most important debates surrounding environmental conservation - and the nature-society balance that this implies - have been about productive activities and access to certain resources within Protected Natural Areas. The establishment of the RBTC has promoted studies that make it possible to diagnose the socio-economic situation of communities within the conservation zone, in order to draw up alternative productive plans and activities that do not generate a negative impact on the area but that can meet the needs of local populations who are mainly peasants. In the words of Rafael Hernández et. al., for adequate conservation in the reserve it is necessary, among other factors,”That there is greater participation of local communities in the administration and management of the reserve itself starting with the establishment of new rules and institutional agreements, so that they overcome the situation of free access to natural resources as they currently relate to their environment”. In other words, although ejidos and communities are the main caregivers and protectors of natural assets, sustainable self-management of resources must be a priority issue in the internal politics of each agrarian nucleus, since, in some cases, certain forms of access to natural resources threaten the very renewal of that resource, fostering a fractured relationship between nature and society. This is especially important when we talk about priority areas for conservation or under some category of protection, since it is not right, much less sustainable, to alienate the communities that have historically inhabited the territory from their natural resources.

It is important to remember that Biological diversity is always linked to cultural diversity.

In short, the sociocultural importance of Biosphere Reserves and other models of Protected Natural Areas is reflected in the way in which social representation of the environment and the different human practices surrounding nature can be aimed at avoiding the destruction of ecosystems. These representations are the result of the intersection between the human being, his culture and the way in which he has conceived nature throughout history.

In different times and spaces, human communities have learned to relate to their environment in different ways. This means that they have Socialized concrete ways of understanding nature and, in particular, of conserving it. Whether for economic purposes - to conserve resources for future exploitation - or to maintain the biodiversity of ecosystems, alternatives have been developed throughout history to take advantage of natural resources (Urquiza, 2018). In addition, it is important to recognize that the knowledge and practices that have mediated between human communities and their environment have varied in different cultures. From processes of domestication of plants and animals, generation of habitats, forms of diet, to mythologies and narratives that give particular meanings to different elements of nature, the links between the human being and the rest of nature are expressed in a way Diverse. It is important to recognize these forms and the way in which they dialogue, for example, with knowledge from science. The ideas and practices of nature hold a certain historicity. In other words, they are the product of change over time and, therefore, are prone to transformation.

This is the case of ideas about conservation. However, conservation, understood as a prohibitive act in which humans do not have access to resources within a protected area, can leave aside the construction of new relationships with the environment in which alternative productive practices do not have a negative impact on the health of ecosystems and can provide communities with means of livelihood. The example of Tehuacan-Cuicatlán makes it clear how the so-called biocultural heritage, as well as the social and cultural processes that involve environmental conservation. But in each geography - and in each time - this has varied. It is important to continue studying, from a critical and informed perspective, different cases about the conservation and use of natural resources, which can show us the different facets of our relationship with the rest of nature and always lead us to the construction of a more respectful and just relationship.

About the author:

Ayamel is a contributor to the Toroto blog and a graduate student in Philosophy of Science at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Acknowledgements:

This short text was made possible thanks to collective reflections and research work within the Contemporary Environmental History Seminar at the Institute for Social Research, coordinated and organized by Dr. Humberto Urquiza. This seminar studies, from different perspectives, the ideas, policies and practices surrounding the exploitation and conservation of nature in Mexico during the 20th century. I thank its members, especially Mtro. Ernesto Vargas Palestine, for his support, comments and discussions that nourish the collective reflection of this working group.

References:

• Amayo, A. (August 19, 2022). “They are carrying out a study to determine the presence of water in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve”, Millennium. Available in: https://www.milenio.com/politica/comunidad/reserva-biosfera-tehuacan-cuicatlan-aplican-trabajos-percepcion-agua
• Hernandez, R. et. al. (2008). Environmental diagnosis and peasant strategies in the Tehuacan-Cuicatlán biosphere reserve, municipality of Zapotitlán, state of Puebla”, Journal of Agricultural Geography, No. 41, July-December, 2008, p. 56.
• National Commission for Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). (2013). Tehuacan-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve Management Program. Available: https://www.conanp.gob.mx/que_hacemos/pdf/programas_manejo/tehuacan_2013.pdf

• Urquiza, H. (2019). “A Global Environmental History: From the Nation's Forest Reserves to Biosphere Reserves in Mexico”, in Iztapalapa. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 40, No. 87, 2019. Available in: https://revistaiztapalapa.izt.uam.mx/index.php/izt/article/view/1423/1609#B27:~:text=10.28928/ri/872019/atc4/urquizagarciah
• Urquiza, H. (2018). Living to conserve. Three moments of Mexican environmental thinking, Mexico, UNAM - University Student Library.
• UNESCO. (2018). “4 new sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List”, Available at: https://es.unesco.org/news/4-nouveaux-sites-inscrits-liste-du-patrimoine-mondial