Forestation and deforestation in Mexico: Community response

Deforestation is a severe economic and environmental problem in Mexico, as elsewhere in the world. This paper presents comparative data of natural resource control by two communities located in different ecological zones in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. One community, Huitzo, in the valley of Oaxaca, has suffered much deforestation due to commercial and domestic uses as well as fire. Through local effort the community has begun a reforestation project to combat erosion and reduced water tables. The other community, Yavesia, in the northern mountains, still has a large virgin forest, due principally to the community's refusal to sell wood to paper companies. To further protect their resources, a local women's group has initiated the installation of wood-efficient clay stoves. The quality of improved stove designs is a much-debated issue and will be discussed further in this paper. The two projects will also be described and compared with the aim of extracting the important organizational success factors. (author).