Identifying Co-inquiry Research Topics through the Analysis of Socio-environmental Problems: The COMBIOSERVE Experience in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Abstract

This study explores the premise that effective participation in conservation can be facilitated when local community members develop the capacity to assess their management actions and evaluate various alternatives that promote natural resource management and conservation. To this end, we present information on the definition of the topics of interest that participants from two communities in Calakmul, Campeche agreed on to undertake joint research activities. The issues generated, through focus groups and participatory mapping, pointed to productive aspects, rather than those directly related to conservation, reflecting the needs and concerns of participants. The results of this selection of topics were analyzed as a diagnosis that makes it possible to interpret the local reality according from the perspective of its inhabitants and to identify key aspects implicit in conservation. Emphasis is placed on the importance of collaborative work between academia and civil society in contributing to increasing the local capacities required for the management of the region in the medium and long term. The challenges of this framework are also analyzed.