Jalapa del Valle

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.

Jalapa youth on forest tour