1. No category

Catena 60 (2005) 239 – 253
www.elsevier.com/locate/catena
Using geomorphologic mapping to strengthen natural
resource management in developing countries.
The case of rural indigenous communities
in Michoacan, Mexico
Gerardo Boccoa,*, Alejandro Velázquezb, Christina Siebec
a
Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México/ Instituto Nacional de
Ecologı́a, SEMARNAT, Mexico
b
Instituto de Geografı́a, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
c
Instituto de Geologı́a, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
Received 29 March 2004; received in revised form 17 December 2004; accepted 20 December 2004
Abstract
This paper describes the use of geomorphologic knowledge for resource management in rural
areas of less developed countries. Specifically, we discuss the contribution of geomorphologic
mapping (coupled with landscape knowledge) to natural resource management using geographic
information systems (GIS) and remote sensing techniques. We describe a case study conducted at
Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, an indigenous forest community in the Paricutin area, in
Michoacan, Mexico.
The analysis described in this paper was used to improve the mapping of forest quality units,
and to explore the relationships between land suitability and land utilisation requirements for
potential diversification of economic activities in the indigenous community. The approach proved
useful for the management of natural resources and was made operational by the actual managers
of the resources. The community of Nuevo San Juan was granted the green certification (Smart
* Corresponding author. Instituto Nacional de Ecologı́a, Periférico 5000, 2do. Piso, Colonia CuicuilcoInsurgentes, 04310 México City, Mexico. Tel./fax: +52 55 5424 6427.
E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Bocco).
0341-8162/$ - see front matter D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.catena.2004.12.003
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G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
Wood) by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and produced a fully automated resource
management plan.
D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Geomorphologic surveying and mapping; Soil surveying and mapping; Geographic information
systems; Natural resource management; Indigenous communities; Developing countries; Mexico
1. Introduction
Geomorphologic mapping has been recognized as a valuable scientific tool from both
theoretical and applied perspectives (Verstappen, 1983; Pasuto and Soldati, 1999;
Andrzejewski, 2002). The role of mapping in geomorphology has also been related to
recent advances in digital procedures, especially geographic information systems (GIS)
(Vitek et al., 1996; Bocco et al., 2001a). The definition, delineation, and scientific value of
homogeneous mapping units still receives research attention (see, among others, Guzzetti
and Reichenbach, 1994; Al Bakri, 1996; Bernert et al., 1997; CEC, 1997; Omernik and
Bailey, 1997; van Westen et al., 2000).
In addition, landform mapping has straightforward practical meanings. The procedure
is at the base of soil surveying and mapping because it provides soil sampling with a
stratified spatial framework (FAO, 1988). This offers the opportunity to assess the role of
soil, in support of agriculture, cattle-grazing and forest management activities, in a spatial
context. The characteristics of the soils, as derived from an integrated landform–soil
survey, determine the potential for land-use in a given area, and thus are at the core of any
resource management plan.
Resource management is vital in tropical areas because a large proportion of the
population still relies on primary economic activities for subsistence, and thus exerts
strong pressures on forests, water and soils. Resource management is a complex matter,
particularly in developing countries. In Mexico, 80% of the entire forest resource is
accessed by rural indigenous communities (Thoms and Betters, 1998; Bocco et al.,
2001b), many surviving in different degrees of marginality. Forest resources play a key
role (besides that of directly providing local producers with income and goods) in the
provision of environmental services, especially carbon sequestration, water resources,
prevention of landsliding and soil loss, among others. For instance, in 1998, a major
proportion of Central American forest resources, crops, and infrastructure was destroyed
during the Mitch hurricane catastrophe that killed thousands (USGS, 2002). Besides the
strength of the meteor, the disaster showed the effects of deforestation and the extreme
vulnerability of the rural populations affected see, e.g., Panizza (1996).
Particular features in developing countries are the absence of relevant environmental
data, the gaps in the existent data sets, or their obsolescence. Thus, the development of
conceptual and spatial frameworks to contribute sound data to the management of
natural resources in these conditions is relevant. Without such frameworks, adaptive
ecosystem management (Vogt et al., 1997) would not be a feasible strategy for
sustainable development (Sexton et al., 1998; Thoms and Betters, 1998; Velázquez et
al., 2001a).
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
241
Sheng et al. (1997) addressed natural resource management from an automated
watershed management approach, specifically formulated for developing countries. Our
paper describes an approach to resource management in rural communities of less
developed countries from a geomorphologic perspective. Specifically, we discuss the
contribution of geomorphologic mapping (coupled with soil and landscape information)
to natural resource management using geographic information systems (GIS) and
remote sensing. We describe a case study developed at Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, an indigenous forest community in the Paricutin area, in Michoacan,
Mexico (Inbar et al., 1994; Velázquez et al., 2001a) (Fig. 1), in which landform-based
mapping was used as a major input to the resource management plan of the
community.
As social and political organisations, forest communities in Mexico must, by law,
submit every 10 years a management plan to the Ministry of the Environment in order
to use their forest resource (Thoms and Betters, 1998); thus, capacity building in
resource monitoring is important for such communities. The results of the plan, in
addition, are useful to guide diversification efforts and land use planning. We
developed a participatory (community–university) research project in cooperation with
Fig. 1. Location map of the indigenous community in the State of Michoacan, Mexico.
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G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
the community of Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, following a specific request by the
communal authorities. The overall project objective consisted of hands-on training of
local technicians to generate and automate the geographic information needed to
develop the natural resource management plan of the community (Bocco et al., 2001b).
As a part of this program, geomorphologic mapping was aimed at improving forest
quality mapping, and to explore the relationships between land suitability and land
utilisation requirements for potential diversification of economic activities in the
indigenous community. The objective of this paper is to describe how geomorphologic
and soil surveying and mapping were carried out and how the resulting information
was used for the above mentioned purposes by the community of Nuevo San Juan. We
believe that this approach may be applicable to other rural communities in developing
countries.
2. The study area
Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro is an indigenous (Purepecha group) community
located 15 km east of Uruapan (state of Michoacan, Fig. 1). The communal land is roughly
190 km2, whereas the forested area encompasses 120 km2; elevation varies between 1600
and 2300 m above sea level. Climate is temperate (Kfppen, as modified by Garcı́a, 1981),
and rainfall (ca. 1000 mm, yearly mean) is seasonal; on the average, 80% of the
precipitation occurs during summer, between May and October. All rock types and relief
are of Quaternary volcanic origin (scoria cones, lava flows and pyroclastic plains are
dominant); soils are derived from recent volcanic materials (Scatolin, 1996). The eruption
of the Paricutin volcano (1943–1952) initiated andesitic–basaltic lava flows over an area of
24 km2 and volcanic ashes over an area of 350 km2 (Inbar et al., 1994). At present, the ash
cover can be as 2 m thick within a radius of 6 km around the cone (field observations). The
main land cover is characteristic of humid and sub-humid temperate forests (fir, pine and
oaks are dominant). The area close to the Paricutin cone (covered by lava and ashes) is
experiencing rapid re-colonization (Velázquez et al., 2001b). Land use includes
subsistence agriculture (maize, chile, beans), extensive grazing, avocado and peach
orchards, and forestry. The eruption of the Paricutin volcano affected villages, crops and
forests of the community (Rees, 1970; Inbar et al., 1994), dramatically upsetting the life of
peasants. Some years after the event they were granted other forested lands nearby, to
which they moved and restarted community life.
Currently, 1300 comuneros (who are granted rights on the communal land) and their
families live in the community. The large majority inhabits the urban settlement (also
called Nuevo San Juan), which is also the centre of the municipality, and where
government offices, hospitals and schools are located. The total population of the
municipality is around 15,000 inhabitants, of which approximately one third are
indigenous people. Despite the ethnic language is only spoken by the elders (above 60
years old), traditions of community life, such as feasts, food and clothing, prevail among
the majority.
The main economic activity is the community’s forestry enterprise with some 850
indigenous employees earning wages above the minimum salary, an unusual fact in
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
243
rural Mexico. The community is well known for its sustained use of forest and the
integrated management of derived goods (Alvarez-Icaza, 1993). Manufactured products
(including wooden floors, furniture and resin), are commercialised into both the
national and international markets. The community was granted the right to administer
its own forest technical services in 1988, thus receiving complete control of the
resource by the government. Nuevo San Juan is an example of a relatively small but
powerful group of forest indigenous communities that have managed to use their
resources in a sustained manner.
3. Method and techniques
Landform analysis was regarded as the basic step for the inventory of natural
resources and a first approximation to the definition of landscape units. These units
describe both the relatively stable land components (geology, terrain, and soils in an
integrated manner), as well as the less stable components whose rate of change in time
is much faster (vegetation and land cover). Both sets of components stored in the
databases of a GIS can be logically combined using the available spatial analytical tools
(classification, overlaying, digital elevation modelling and slope calculations; Aronoff,
1989).
Landform, as a concept, has not been used as a categorical level in a hierarchical system
(such as the one developed by Zinck, 1989), but rather as a pragmatic term for a portion of
the geographic space having similarities in rock-relief and soils (in the sense of terrain
unit) or the above mentioned plus land-cover (in the sense of land unit). Because of their
nature and type of contacts, landforms are more easily segmented than soils or vegetation,
which tend to change along gradients (ecotones, soil transitions). Homogeneous mapping
units allow data management and analysis using data base management technology and
conventional data models in a GIS (vector, raster and relational; Aronoff, 1989). They can
be used at different spatial and time scales for land evaluation procedures (Rossiter, 1990;
FAO, 1993), landscape modelling and habitat conservation (Velázquez and Bocco, 1994).
3.1. Geomorphologic surveying
Geomorphologic surveying and mapping were carried out using recent panchromatic,
black and white aerial photointerpretation and terrain analysis at approximate scales of
1:25,000 and 1:50,000 (van Zuidam and van Zuidam-Cancelado, 1986). Landform
mapping was based on the discrimination of (i) volcanic cones and lava flows
according to their age (Segerstrom, 1950; Williams, 1950; Scatolin, 1996) and (ii)
related units such as interlavic plains and volcanic foot-slopes. Tone, texture, and
pattern considerations were used to guide photointerpretation. Slope morphology and
morphometry, and drainage pattern analysis were derived from both topographic map
(1:50,000 scale) interpretation and aerial photography. Landform delineation and related
soil materials were intensively field verified at 120 sites. Both activities were performed
by joint teams (community and university technical staffs) in the context of the handson training program.
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G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
3.2. Geographic information system (GIS) procedures
Every interpreted photograph was digitized and rectified using a mono-restitution
approach (McCullough and Moore, 1995). Thus, a geomorphologic (vector) map was
created and subsequently rasterised and combined with other data layers (Aronoff,
1989). A digital elevation model (DEM) was created by interpolation of 20-m interval
contour lines digitized from the topographic map (Sheng et al., 1997). A slope gradient
map was derived from the DEM using standard filtering techniques and classified into
appropriate categories. The landform interpretation in vector format was subsequently
displayed on the screen and wrapped on both the digital elevation model and the slope
map to insure accuracy in contacts and to increase consistency (see Lopez-Blanco and
Villers, 1995).
A digital land cover-land use map was visually interpreted from an enhanced
Landsat Thematic Mapper (1998) colour composition using one infrared and two visible
bands (TM 4, 3 and 2). Enhancement consisted of band stretching and edge
enhancement filtering to improve detection of land cover variability. Land cover
categories thus delineated were refined using field-verified, 1:25,000-scale aerial
photographs. Geomorphic units were cartographically overlain on soils (see below)
and land cover data to quantify dominant soil and cover per landform category. The
procedure did not aim at defining mechanically the relationships between landform,
soils and land cover.
3.3. Soil surveying and mapping
A semidetailed soil survey was conducted following standard procedures (Breimer et
al., 1986; Schlichting et al., 1995). Geomorphologic units, litho-chronologic data
(Williams, 1950) and ash deposition maps (Segerstrom, 1950), and own field
Table 1
Litho-chronologic sequence
A. Lavic and pyroclastic rocks of various origins and composition, Early Quaternary (?), at the South and West of
the study area.
1. Zumpimito Formation, with acid to intermediate lavas, volcanic tuffs and lahars, highly weathered, at the
South of the study area.
2. Andesitic lava flows of the Tancitaro stratovolcano, underlaying footslope units, at the Southwest of the study
area.
B. Late Pleistocene and Holocene andesitic–basaltic and basaltic (olivinic) lavic and pyroclastic rocks, at the
Centre and North of the study area.
1. Pleistocene andesites of Huanarucua Mesa
2. Late Pleistocene or Holocene (?) olivinic basalts and basaltic–andesites of several monogenetic cones, at the
Centre-east and North of the study area.
3. Holocene basaltic-andesites of several monogenetic cones at the Centre-east and North of the study area (ca.
2000 years old, Williams, 1950).
4. Basaltic-andesites of the Paricutin volcano, at the Centre-west (50 years old).
C. Alluvial and colluvial deposits of volcanic origin
Sources: Williams (1950) and Segerstrom (1950); aerial photointerpretation and field work.
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
245
observations were used to decide upon a stratified soil sampling strategy. In each
spatial unit we described at least 1 and up to 10 soil profiles, depending on the surface
area covered by the unit. A total of 34 profiles were surveyed. Soil boundaries were
further crossed checked through 87 augering sites. Soil profiles were described
following Siebe et al. (1996), whereas soil was classified following FAO (1988). The
results of soil profile description and laboratory analyses are provided elsewhere (Siebe
et al., 2003).
4. Results
4.1. Surveying and mapping
Volcanic materials, identified according to their age and lithology, encompass lavic
and pyroclastic rocks of the Pleistocene and Holocene (Table 1). Landforms were
grouped into five classes each characterized by typical soil types and land cover
786000
789000
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LEGEND
N
21480000
2151000
2154000
2157000
2160000
2163000
Scoria cones
Lavic domes
Andesitic lava flows, summit surfaces
Andesitic lava flows, denudational slopes
Andesitic-basaltic and basaltic lava flows, summit
surfaces
Andesitic-basaltic and basaltic lava flows, denudational
slopes
Basaltic-andesites of Paricutin
Accumulative volcanic footslopes
Accumulative plains with fluvially reworked ashes
Accumulative plains with fall-out (in situ) Paricutin
ashes
Erosional valleys
Hysopacks (15 cm)
Hysopacks (25 cm)
Hysopacks (50 cm)
Hysopacks (1 m)
Hysopacks (2 m)
Cartographic Projection:
2142000
2145000
Ellipsoid: Clarke 1866
Projection: UTM zone13
Datum: North American 1927 (NAD27)
Cartographic Edition:
0
786000
789000
792000
795000
6 km
José Antonio Navarrete Pacheco
798000
Fig. 2. Geomorphologic map based on field verified aerial photointerpretation. See complete legend and
description in Table 2.
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G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
(Fig. 2, Table 2): volcanic cones, lava flows, footslopes, plains and valleys. Soil
types surveyed (Siebe et al., 2003) were lithic and andi-mollic Leptosols on lavic
flows, vitri-eutric Regosols on recent ash deposits, mollic Andisols on older ash
deposits, and vitri-eutric Fluvisols on fluvial plains (Fig. 3, Table 3). Major land
cover-land use types included were temperate mixed forest (pines and oaks), rain-fed
agriculture, orchards, and cattle grazing. An integrated map based on landforms was
defined through interpretation, automatic classification, and cartographic overlaying
(Fig. 2). The mapping units and subunits (described in terms of slope characteristics
and processes, lithology, dominant cover-use, and major soil types) are presented in
Fig. 4.
The central and northern area is typical of Holocene and recent volcanic landscapes, with
very well preserved monogenetic cones, lava flows, and plains with a pyroclastic cover.
Thus the drainage system is either incipient and disintegrated or even nonexistent, with
strong infiltration in ashes and blocky lavas. This area is mainly devoted to forestry, and
most of the income of the community originates here. Accelerated erosion processes may
occur on gently sloping areas with a conspicuous Paricutin ash cover. The southern area is
typical of Pleistocene volcanic environments with relatively older andesitic lava flows and
volcanic footslopes, well-developed soils and radial to subdendritic drainage systems.
Because of the absence of recent ashes from the Paricutin, the forest cover of this area was
removed for agricultural purposes (rain-fed and orchards) and grazing. Subsistence
Table 2
Geomorphic units with dominant soils and cover types
1. Late Pleistocene and Holocene andesitic and basaltic monogenetic cones with a pyroclastic cover, with
Andisols or Regosols and pine forest.
1.1 Scoria cones, mainly Holocenic, with steep (N30%) rectilinear slopes.
1.2 Late Pleistocene lavic domes with steep convex slopes.
2. Late Pleistocene, Holocene and recent andesitic, basaltic-andesites and basaltic lava flows.
2.1 Late Pleistocene, andesitic lava flows, with a deep (N1 m), weathered pyroclastic cover, with andosols, under
rain-fed agriculture, grazing or avocado orchards, with apparent interrill erosion and incipient gully erosion.
a. Summit surfaces, slightly convex, gentle (b5%) slopes
b. Denudational slopes, rectilinear to convex, medium (10% to 30%) slopes.
2.2 Late Pleistocene and recent andesitic–basaltic and basaltic lava flows, with a moderate (0.5 to 1 m),
weathered pyroclastic cover, occasionally covered by Paricutin ash, with Andisols or Regosols, with pine
forest and occasionally peach orchards.
a. Summit surfaces, rectilinear, gentle (b5%) slopes
b. Denudational slopes, irregular, variable (N5% to 30%) slopes.
2.3 Basaltic-andesites of Paricutin, unweathered and uncovered; chaotic, blocky (Aa type) lava.
3. Accumulative volcanic footslopes of Tancitaro stratovolcano, with an Early Quaternary andesitic bedrock,
rectilinear, medium (b15%) slopes, with a deep (N1 m), weathered pyroclastic cover, with andosols, under rainfed agriculture or grazing, with interrill erosion and incipient gully erosion.
4. Accumulative plains, with Holocene and recent pyroclastic material, gentle (b5%) or almost flat slopes, with
Fluvisols or Regosols.
4.1 With fluvially reworked ashes, under rain-fed agriculture.
4.2 With fall-out (in-situ) Paricutin ash, under afforestation (in weathered bedrock) or uncovered.
5. Erosional valleys on Late Tertiary–Early Quaternary (?), highly weathered, volcanic materials, rectilinear, steep
(N30%) slopes, with andosols and temperate (fir and cloud) forest.
Source: aerial photointerpretation and field verification.
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
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LEGEND
N
2163000
Mollic Andisols on Pario and related cones
Mollic Andisols on Pleistocenic andesites with relatively
cool temperate climate
Mollic Andisols on Pleistocenic andesites with relatively
warm temperate climate
Vitri-eutric Regosols on 30-60 cm thick Paricutin ashes,
overlaying buried mollic or haplic Andosols
Vitri-eutric Regosols on > 60 cm thick Paricutin ashes,
overlaying buried mollic or haplic Andosols
Lithic Leptosols on lava flows of Paricutin volcano
E
2160000
D
F
2154000
2157000
Andi-mollic and lithic Leptosols associated with mollic
Andisols with a deep lithic phase on lava flows of Prieto
and San Nicolas volcanic cones
Vitri-eutric Fluvisols on accumulative plains with fluvially
reworked tephra
Canyons
G
2151000
A
Sampling sites for soil profiles
21480000
H
C
I
B
2145000
K
2142000
Cartographic Projection:
0
Ellipsoid: Clarke 1866
Projection: UTM zone13
Datum: North American 1927 (NAD27)
Cartographic Edition:
786000
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792000
6 km
795000
José Antonio Navarrete Pacheco
798000
Fig. 3. Soil map based on geomorphologic units and soil profile field description (see Table 3).
agriculture, avocado production for the national market, and cattle for the local market are
produced here. The areas where accelerated erosion processes are apparent, according to
field-verified photointerpretation, are some of the slopes on andesitic lava flows under rainfed agriculture and a portion of the footslopes under grazing.
Soil properties and spatial distribution of soil material are largely determined by the
age of the ash deposits from which they originated and the stratification over other
previous volcanic lava or tephra; major soil forming process is andosolization.
Limitations for agricultural use and plant growth are mainly due to lack of available
nitrogen and phosphorus, and poor moisture retention capacity, especially on recent ash
deposits.
5. The community’s use of landform classification
The geomorphologic units described in this paper were used to (i) improve the
mapping of forest quality units (site evaluation for forest use) and (ii) analyse the
relationship between land suitability and land utilisation requirements (a procedure
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G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
Table 3
Soils and dominant landscape positions
1. Andisols
1.1 Mollic Andisols on Pario and related cones
1.2 Mollic Andisols on Pleistocenic andesites with a relatively cool temperate climatea
1.3 Mollic Andisols on Pleistocenic andesites with a relatively warm temperate climatea
2. Regosols
2.1 Vitri-eutric Regosols on 30–60 cm thick Paricutin ashes, overlaying buried mollic or haplic Andisols.
2.2 Vitri-eutric Regosols on N60 cm thick Paricutin ashes, overlaying buried mollic or haplic Andisols.
3. Leptosols
3.1 Lithic Leptosols on lava flows of Paricutin volcano
3.2 Andi-mollic and lithic Leptosols associated with mollic Andisols with a deep lithic phase on lava flows of
Prieto and San Nicolas volcanic cones
4. Fluvisols
4.1 Vitri-eutric Fluvisols on accumulative plains with fluvially reworked tephra.
Sources: aerial photointerpretation and field verification.
a
No quantitative climatic data are available for this area, thus the differentiation is mostly based on field
observation.
described as land evaluation, FAO, 1993) for potential diversification of economic
activities (including the adoption of ecotourism as a source of income). Every
technique was applied in the framework of the hands-on training activity; thus the
entire surveying and mapping exercise also served for capacity building purposes.
The final outcomes were the official forest management plan for the Ministry of the
Environment and the implementation of a GIS unit for data management and analysis
operated by two members of the community (Bocco et al., 2001b).
5.1. Improving forest quality mapping
The map (Fig. 5) was based on intensively field checked aerial photointerpretation
of forest cover at 1:25,000 approximate scale. Forest cover was mapped according to
texture of canopy. Quality was preliminary attached to cover density; three quality
classes were defined in this basis. It was assumed that good forest cover was related to
high forest quality for logging purposes. Ancillary data were landforms, soils, and
vegetation classifications. The landform–soil relationship was used to refine the classes
defined through photointerpretation. A rule was defined in such a way that, for
example, the polygons photo-identified as belonging to the high quality class should
have, in addition to a good cover (not less than 80% as measured on the photo),
relatively gentle slopes (b10%), deep (ca. 1 m) soils, and absence of Paricutin ash, all
data emanating from the geomorphologic survey, conveniently manipulated in the GIS.
The units defined were further field-characterized using a stratified systematic sampling
design (Velázquez et al., 2003). On the whole, 136 forest stands, comprising 1271
forest sub-stands were recognized. This included the surveying of 4662 sites of
approximately 1000 m2 per site. On the basis of the forest quality map, the community
can plan which tracts of forest land will be managed every season during the following
10 years. In addition, the fragility of volcanic soils was classified as a risk if
unsustainable forest management takes over the current approach.
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
geomorphic
unit
lithology
lava flow
Paricutin
basaltic andesite
accumulative
plains
Historic (1952)
coverage
primary
succesion
bare surface with
pine afforestation
lithic
Leptosol
vitri-eutric
Regosol
soil
lava flows of older
accumulative
volcanoes covered by
plains
Paricutin ash falls
in situ fall-out
Paricutin ash
age
Historic (1952)
profile
0
249
A(h)
R
in situ fall-out Paricutin
ash covering former soils
Historic over
Holocene
peach orchards or pine
forest
vitri-eutric Regosol
over mollic
Andosol
D
F
A(h)
AC
fluvially reworked
ash fall deposits
Historic (1952-66)
pasture
vitri-eutric
Fluvisol
C
C
C
E
Ah
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
2Bw
2AB
2Bw
100 cm
Fig. 4. Geomorphologic units and their relation to soil types in the study area.
5.2. Land suitability for selected land-use types
Intensification of diversified economic activities (other than conventional forestry) was
assessed through automated land evaluation procedures (Rossiter, 1990; FAO, 1993).
Geomorphologic units and related soils were evaluated in terms of their qualities versus
land use type requirements (Rosete, 1998). Land use types evaluated were rain-fed maize,
perennial grasslands (for cattle grazing) and orchards (peach and avocado) and suitable
land uses were suggested per mapping unit on the basis of selected soil qualities (Fig. 6).
Thus, the procedure allowed the producers to identify alternative land use types and
allocate a proper land unit to each of them. For instance, for rain-fed agriculture, soil
quality was described in terms of 11 properties (derived from the survey), out of which soil
depth, (fresh) ash depth and elevation were the crucial ones to meet the requirements of the
land use type. In this way, traditional agriculture was reconsidered by producers as a
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LEGEND
N
21480000
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2157000
2160000
2163000
High forest quality
Medium forest quality
Low forest quality
Reforested areas
Grasslands
Rain-fed agriculture
Orchard
Paricutin ashes
Particutin lava
San Juan ruin
Human settlement
Cartographic Projection:
2142000
2145000
Ellipsoid: Clarke 1866
Projection: UTM zone13
Datum: North American 1927 (NAD27)
Cartographic Edition:
0
786000
789000
792000
795000
6 km
José Antonio Navarrete Pacheco
798000
Fig. 5. Forest quality map based on landforms and forest photo texture.
feasible farming system for maize and bean production in the southeast portion of the
community (Pulido and Bocco, 2003).
6. Conclusions
Landscape surveying and mapping techniques based on geomorphologic analysis,
coupled with GIS and remote sensing procedures as well as a systematic training program,
were useful tools for natural resource management in an indigenous community in a
developing country. These tools were actually used by the managers of the resources. The
community of Nuevo San Juan was granted the green certification (Smart Wood) by the
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). This distinction is awarded to social enterprises whose
forestry activities fulfil several requirements concerning ecologically sound forest
management.
Indigenous communities may adequately combine old traditions of community life with
entrepreneurial agroforestry activities in the context of natural resource planning using up-
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
786000
789000
792000
795000
251
798000
2166000
LEGEND
N
21480000
2151000
2154000
2157000
2160000
2163000
Forestry
Forestry and cattle-grazing
Cattle-grazing
Forest and orchard plantations
Paricutin lava
Cartographic Projection:
2142000
2145000
Ellipsoid: Clarke 1866
Projection: UTM zone13
Datum: North American 1927 (NAD27)
Cartographic Edition:
0
786000
789000
792000
6 km
795000
José Antonio Navarrete Pacheco
798000
Fig. 6. Land suitability for selected land uses.
to-date technology and geomorphologic surveying. In this context, geomorphologic
knowledge must be user-oriented to insure proper application. Because of the nature of
landforms and their role as a landscape component, geomorphologic surveying proved
extremely useful for resource inventory, analysis and management in areas where resource
knowledge is scarce, non updated or even absent.
In operational terms, the success of this approach is strongly based on the social
organisation of the indigenous community. The social group ought to be well organised if
efforts and investments are to be capitalised and reproduced. This is crucial for potential
model extrapolation to similar rural communities in developing countries.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Technical Department of the indigenous community of Nuevo
San Juan for continuous support. Silvia Sánchez, Pedro Avilés and Kumiko Shimada
assisted in laboratory soil analyses. Antonio Guadarrama edited the final versions of
252
G. Bocco et al. / Catena 60 (2005) 239–253
digital maps. Funding sources were the University of Mexico (PAPIIT, project IN 101196)
and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS-Vida Silvestre sin Fronteras).
The criticism to the first version of the manuscript by J.A. Zinck and M. Meadows, which
contributed to improving the paper, is highly appreciated.
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