| This thesis analyzes the characteristics of community-based management systems to promote both environmental conservation and rural development, in particular, community structures for self-organization and adaptation, and their evolution in relation to changing community perspectives and policy trends. The community-based forest management system of Nuevo San Juan, Michoacan, Mexico, which is more than two decades old, is the central case study. Through the exploration of structures of self-organization, and the identification and analysis of cross-scale linkages and drivers of change, I explore the case in some depth and provide details on the beginning, management trends and evolution of the communal appropriation of resources. During a period of close to three months, using methods inspired by Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), field data were gathered through approximately one hundred field interviews with community members and others linked to the case.; San Juan's intricate management system includes the exploitation of timber and non-timber forest products through a communal enterprise. Community members of San Juan came together to create a communal management system to solve their local socio-economic problems. The community, unlike many others in Michoacan and Mexico, has been able to maintain the forest resource base and contribute to the generation of employment and socio-economic development in the municipality. New leadership trends and exogenous factors, however, are modifying management processes and previously established trends. The findings indicate that enabling federal legislation, together with leadership and social capacity, can and do contribute to community self-organization. Moreover, linkages at various levels help to strengthen and consolidate community-based management systems and increase their capacity for adaptation to deal with pressure from external drivers. In addition, the findings suggest that a high level of system resilience, clear institutional and organizational structures, and proper government recognition and legal jurisdiction are not sufficient conditions for a successful communal management system. Other conditions, such as the application of core cultural and other values at the individual, community and institutional levels are also necessary to maintain community well-being and cohesion. |
