Restoring the environment, revitalizing the culture: cenote conservation in Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Cenotes are sinkholes through which groundwater may be accessed from the Yucatan Peninsula Aquifer. Historically and culturally, cenotes are also important cultural and spiritual natural sites for the Maya, but they have been contaminated and degraded. We ask the following: What are the present-day meanings, understanding, and values of cenotes for the Maya? Is it possible to adopt a cultural approach for conservation of cenotes in Yucatan? Participant observation, interviews with stakeholders, and underwater exploration in cenotes were used to obtain data. Results indicate that cenotes often retain some spiritual meaning for people but not as important cultural, spiritual, or sacred sites. Little consensus was found regarding the significance of cenotes and how best to protect them. Informants noted changes in water quality, and identified the threats to cenotes including tourism, poor solid waste management, contamination, and deficiency of interest in preservation. Lack of accurate knowledge was a problem: informants did not seem to understand that cenotes are interconnected through the groundwater system. The Yucatan case illustrates how loss of cultural values can be linked to environmental quality and resource degradation. Conversely, it can be argued that cultural revitalization in indigenous communities has the potential to bring back community-based conservation.Key Words: cenotes; community-based conservation; groundwater; Mayas; sacred natural sites; Yucatan INTRODUCTIONGroundwater in Yucatan is not simply a hydrological resource. Historically it had elements of sacredness perhaps related to the fact that it was an essential resource in an area without rivers. It has since lost much of its sacredness and over the decades has become contaminated. In this paper we deal with groundwaterrelated issues in Yucatan, and suggest that the way to improve conservation is through the inclusion of cultural values and renewed spiritual connections between people and their environment. Understanding cultural values, belief systems, and meanings are often necessary toward solutions; looking at nature with awe and reverence fosters sensitivity to the environment (Wild and Macleod 2008).

The contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ecological restoration

“…Similarly, results from a study of 42 reforestation programs in Africa show that the success of such programs largely rests upon the ability of local institutions to monitor, impose sanctions, and distribute benefits (Reynolds ), thus highligting the importance of customary institutions for restoration efforts. Researchers have also argued that in contexts where resource degradation is linked to the loss of cultural values, cultural revitalization linked to restoration provides another incentive and base of support for community‐based conservation (Lopez‐Maldonado & Berkes ).…”

Restoring the forest revives our culture: Ecosystem services and values for ecological restoration across the rural-urban nexus in South Africa

“…In our study, the NGO Dzomo La Mupo is implemented by local people who have a history of operations in the region and share local visions for ER that align with rural populations, allowing the integration of biocultural objectives into ER programmes. Here, when resource degradation is interlinked with the erosion of cultural values, linking cultural revitalisation with ER may serve as a motivator for garnering community support(Lopez-Maldonado and Berkes, 2017).…”

Underlying social attitudes towards conservation of threatened carnivores in human-dominated landscapes

“…For example, the rural people we interviewed are of a different ethnic origin than those in studied in the Maulino and temperate forests (Silva-Rodríguez et al, 2009; Zorondo-Rodríguez et al, 2014). We therefore hypothesize that differences in attitudes towards a given carnivore species are associated with ethnicity and communities’ traditional and local management practices, which strongly influence the relationships among people, species and ecosystems (Dominguez et al, 2010; Lejano et al, 2013; Gavin et al, 2015; Guèze et al, 2015; Lopez-Maldonado & Berkes, 2017; Reyes-García et al, 2017; Soares et al, 2017). This suggests that conservation agencies should adapt conservation strategies in accordance with the diverse relationships between rural communities and carnivores across landscapes and cultures.…”