JALAPA DEL VALLE
Region: Valles Centrales, Oaxaca, Mexico
Population: 1,543
Ethnic Background: Not defined. Ejido of mixed ethnicities. Some Indigenous, some mestizo
Forest Ecosystem: Temperate, mixed pine-oak and oak-pine forests
Main Livelihoods: Agriculture and livestock, small businesses, construction.
Forest Dependency: Low
What made this an interesting place for a youth workshop? 20 km. from Oaxaca City. Many residents interact daily with the city (work, school, services). In the past, community livelihoods were tied to local forests. In 1975, the Community Assembly banned logging, designating their forests as a conservation area. Over time, people adopted other livelihoods, most of them urban. The community won a national prize for nature conservation in 2013. In recent years, the community has seen the negative consequences of a “no-touch” forest policy (plague, fire), and the need for more forest use and management. The Assembly is in the process of approving commercial forestry operations as a collective (rather than individually-based) enterprise.