Is the community-based management of natural resources inherently linked to resilience? An analysis of the Santiago Comaltepec community (Mexico)

The sustainable management of forests is a current pressing need. Many communities around the world manage common pool forests and base their livelihoods on forest products. The community-based management of natural resources approach has been often considered as a suitable approach to govern the commons. However, the application of these principles does not simply lead to harmonise development and conservation. We explore the links between community-based management of natural resources and social-ecological resilience in a Mexican indigenous community by: analysing the trade-offs between environmentally sound forest management and socio-economic sustainability; identifying the local strategies to face local, national and international challenges and analysing how they contribute to the social-ecological resilience; and reflecting about how the current situation might affect future social-ecological resilience. The results showed that land and forests are sustainably managed from an environmental perspective, but current social and economic pressures, within and outside the community, represent a serious threat to the traditional common management and sustainability culture.