Percepciones sobre los programas de restauración ambiental de la Cuenca del Lago de Pátzcuaro, Michoacán: 1997-2024

Resumen

The Pátzcuaro Lake basin in Michoacán, Mexico, is a site of cultural and historical significance for the Purépecha people and society at large. For decades, but especially today, the basin has been threatened by a socio-environmental crisis stemming from the mismanagement of its natural resources, which has led to environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural changes. In response, the four levels of government, as well as academic institutions, civil organizations, and civil society, have implemented various conservation and restoration schemes, typically using a top-down approach. The objective of this research was to analyze the perceptions of the indigenous population, and other stakeholders regarding the environmental programs implemented in the Pátzcuaro Lake basin from 1997 to 2024. The study employed a qualitative methodology, involving 48 semi-structured interviews with residents of four riverside communities; the collected data were analyzed using frequency charts. The main findings were: 1) most of the interviewees were unaware of the environmental programs that have been implemented in the watershed; 2) the programs did not incorporate local ancestral knowledge; 3) the programs were short-term and lacked inter-institutional coordination, among other issues. In conclusion, environmental restoration programs in the watershed yielded few positive results as they are designed with an inadequate approach, which limits the integration of all stakeholders. We believe this is because actions are planned based on theoretical knowledge rather than practical experience, for which a bottom-up approach may be a more appropriate strategy.