Now that the Voices of the Chichinautzin documentary has been completed, it may be a good time for reflection. We were really fortunate to get the basic idea to cover the situation in th Chichinautzin from our colleague, Topiltzin Contreras, at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos. Luis Patron and Patricia Sims then worked very hard to put together the entire documentary. I think it is an impressive piece of work.
From the UNU’s perspective, our two documentaries to date (Voices of the Chichinautzin and Saving the Ayuquila River) focus on how scientists and their knowledge can help solve environmental problems. In both cases, local academics worked with all stakeholders to come up with effective solutions. Their work has been inspirational!
While this is true, the stories we tell are complex and the answers are certainly not simple. Both the problems and the solutions evolve over time. So it is like trying to hit a moving target. The struggles can be bitter and the conflicts intense. Bloodshed can occur.
One message that emerged strongly for me personally from both documentaries is that it is impossible to protect the environment, without protecting the livelihoods of the people who live in that environment. In many places, we have been quick to designate national parks, biosphere reserves, nature conservation areas, etc. without concern for the people who actually depend on them for their livelihoods.
Some communities can take these changes/new designations and turn them into opportunities (e.g., eco-tourism), but others can be forced into decline, face a struggle to survive and even take up illegal activities like logging. I am not writing this to excuse the actions of the illegal loggers in the Chichinautzin (we never really had the chance to meet them, so we don’t know their true motivations), but more point to the need to really think carefully about clever ways to create jobs while improving the environment. And more often than not, it is the local people who know how to do this. They just need our support.