Cultural Ecosystem Services in Areas of Ecological and Cultural Relevance. A Matlatzinca Community in the Centre of Mexico

Abstract

This research aims to identify the Cultural Ecosystem Services (SEC, by its initials in Spanish) related to natural spaces of the Matlatzinca territory in San Francisco Oxtotilpan, State of Mexico. Likewise, the conservation actions that help counteract their threats, given the relevance of the work of the Matlatzinca community regarding the conservation of ecosystems and how they have managed to regulate access to their territory, partly located in protected natural areas. We applied semi-structured interviews, directed interviews, and social cartography to the inhabitants of the community. The principal SEC identified were: recreation, spiritual and religious; aesthetic; those that give a sense of identity and belonging to a place; those related to cultural heritage, as well as sensory or those that offer a sense of well-being. The value of the study lies in the fact that the ecosystem services framework addresses the relationship between society and the environment from an unconventional perspective, allowing, for example, the identification and valuation of the intangible benefits that societies obtain from ecosystems through SEC. Its prime implication is the inclusion of the SEC assessment in the design and implementation of human welfare and conservation policies.