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Does the simplification of activity systems produce landscape homogenization?

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Abstract

Activity systems determine the land-use strategies that ultimately shape landscapes. Identifying the reasoning behind the decision making on land use strategies can help to understand how humans contribute to shaping landscapes and to design appropriate land management plans. We studied changes in land-use strategies employed by rural communities, as well as their impact on the landscape in Atzalan, Mexico. For this, we conducted interviews in households distributed throughout the municipality, documenting their activities, resources, and motivations related to land use. We also compared local perceptions of landscape change with that detected by remote sensing analysis. Our results indicate that the activity system in Atzalan features a multiplicity of economic strategies with traditional activities at their core, as well as other more intensified systems such as monocultures and pastures. However, traditional activities are largely giving way to intensified land uses, leading to landscape homogenization. The spatial and temporal distribution of the dominant land covers throughout the municipality reflects a dependency on the environmental context, social structure and land accessibility. People are aware of changes in the landscape and recognize their role in these transformations, mostly due to impacts on the forest and crop cover. Simplification of the activity system has been reflected in the homogenization of the landscape and could prevent households from maintaining diversified strategies of multiple uses of resources.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the producers of Atzalan for their support in the field and their valuable contribution to this project. Special thanks to Ricardo Quiroz Reyes, Fortunato Ruiz de la Merced, Claudia Gallardo Hernández, Estrella Chévez Martín del Campo, for valuable assistance in the field and lab. We acknowledge the support of Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT; Scholarship No. 364239 to SMM and No. 299745 to SRS), and the Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Thanks to Keith MacMillan for revision of the English manuscript. This work was partly supported by Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y el Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO; Convenio FB1812/NE010/16), and the US Fish and Wildlife Service—Wildlife Without Borders/Mexico (Award #F13AP00263 and Award #F15AP00270).

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  1. Red de Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec No. 351 Col. El Haya, 91073, Xalapa, VER, Mexico

    Swany Morteo-Montiel & Martha Bonilla-Moheno

  2. Programa de Territorios Sostenibles, México y Norte de Centroamérica, The Nature Conservancy, Calle 25 No. 187-B (x 8 y 10) Col. García Ginerés, 97070, Mérida, YUC, Mexico

    Sherie Rae Simms

  3. Red de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec No. 351 Col. El Haya, 91073, Xalapa, VER, Mexico

    Luciana Porter-Bolland

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  1. Swany Morteo-Montiel
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Morteo-Montiel, S., Simms, S.R., Porter-Bolland, L. et al. Does the simplification of activity systems produce landscape homogenization?. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 5695–5714 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-00839-2

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