Scaling up in community forest enterprises: the case of central Mexico
Por:
Solís-Mendoza L.E., Sánchez-Nupan L.O., Castro-Torres R.B., De la Mora De la Mora G., Kozak R., Peterson St Laurent G., Guerra de la Cruz V., Galicia L.
Publicada:
1 ene 2024
Resumen:
For community forest enterprises (CFEs) in central Mexico, ‘scaling up’ can be an effective means of achieving the transition to economically attractive and sustainable forest management, but little is known about the potential and challenges that they face in this regard. We used a qualitative case study to evaluate a set of variables that determine the limitations and opportunities for scaling up CFEs in central Mexico and thereby expanding their commercial capacities, activities and outputs. The framework included concepts related to sustainable forest management, natural resource governance and temperate forest ecology. We interviewed leaders of four communities (n = 30) and 15 external actors (regional industry, and national non-governmental organizations). Communities that had developed long-term plans for forest management that embrace conservation values were also those with the greatest capacity to generate sustainable income streams from diverse sources. The robust legal frameworks and community institutions that set up procedures for responsibly harvesting and selling timber, thereby generating income, offer opportunities to enhance the effectiveness of CFEs. Demand continues to grow for wood products involving skilled crafts in central Mexico, but local production remains low; a lack of access to finance imposes limits on investment in the forests and value-added options for the products and services. Market opportunities and growth are also restricted by substandard physical infrastructure (e.g., roads, electricity) limited access to finance (e.g., credit, private-sector investors), and an absence of business plans. There are no formal networks to facilitate learning among these CFEs. Scaling up for these CFEs will require access to markets, innovations, and finance to create sustainable value chains for wood and non-wood forest products. The Mexican government could be instrumental in this by incorporating the notion of scaling up for CFEs when enacting policy that builds on and supports the country’s proven models of community-based forest management. On the other hand, this approach can be useful for developing more robust theoretical and methodological frameworks that capture these complex dynamics, contribute to the theory and practice of enterprise forestry development, sustainable natural resource management, and effective policy formulation. © The Author(s) 2024.
Filiaciones:
Solís-Mendoza L.E.:
Posgrado en Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Unidad de Posgrado Edificio D primer piso Ciudad Universitaria CDMX, Mexico City, 04510, Mexico
Sánchez-Nupan L.O.:
Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito exterior S/N, D. F., Mexico City, C. P 04510, Mexico
Castro-Torres R.B.:
Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito exterior S/N, D. F., Mexico City, C. P 04510, Mexico
De la Mora De la Mora G.:
Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, Ciudad Universitaria de la UAEM Cuernavaca, Av. Universidad s/n, Circuito 2, Col. Chamilpa, Morelos, Cuernavaca, C.P 62210, Mexico
Kozak R.:
Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall Forest Sciences Centre, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada
Peterson St Laurent G.:
Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall Forest Sciences Centre, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, BC, Canada
Guerra de la Cruz V.:
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Sitio Experimental Tlaxcala. Km 2.5 – Tlaxcala-Chiautempan, Col. Industrial, Tlaxcala, Chiautempan, 90800, Mexico
Galicia L.:
Instituto de Geografía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Circuito exterior S/N, D. F., Mexico City, C. P 04510, Mexico
All Open Access; Hybrid Gold Open Access
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