Peasant emigration and land-use change at the watershed level: A GIS-based approach in Central Mexico

Demographic changes introduced by migration strongly affect economic activities and may thus trigger land-use changes. Migration has been usually overlooked in land use change modelling, even though it is recognized as a dominant demographic factor that influences land use. This paper analyzes to what extent migration patterns influence land-cover and land-use change at the watershed level. A RS-GIS and statistical approach was used to quantify and analyze both land-cover change and change in population per spatial unit. It was hypothesized that migration should exert a strong effect on land-cover change. The exercise was carried out in the Basin of Lake Cuitzeo, Michoacan, in Central Mexico, an area of high emigration to the USA, albeit showing a net increase in its total population. The expansion of scrubland areas at the expense of rain-fed agricultural land is associated with the abandonment of agricultural land with poor soils. As a consequence, vegetal succession has been promoted and subtropical scrubland increased.     

Using geomorphologic mapping to strengthen natural resource management in developing countries. The case of rural indigenous communities in Michoacan, Mexico

This paper describes the use of geomorphologic knowledge for resource management in rural areas of less developed countries. Specifically, we discuss the contribution of geomorphologic mapping (coupled with landscape knowledge) to natural resource management using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. We describe a case study conducted at Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, an indigenous forest community in the Paricutin area, in Michoacan, Mexico.The analysis described in this paper was used to improve the mapping of forest quality units, and to explore the relationships between land suitability and land utilisation requirements for potential diversification of economic activities in the indigenous community. The approach proved useful for the management of natural resources and was made operational by the actual managers of the resources. The community of Nuevo San Juan was granted the green certification (Smart Wood) by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and produced a fully automated resource management plan.