Gender and Cross-Scale Differences in the Perception of Social-Ecological Systems
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Author
Delgado Serrano, María del Mar
Escalante Semerena, Roberto I.
Publisher
MDPIDate
2018Subject
Community-based natural resource managementStructural analysis
Knowledge systems
Mexico
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Show full item recordAbstract
The sound management of Social-Ecological Systems (SESs) requires a deep knowledge of
the system and its dynamics, but effective strategies also need to include the perceptions of the local
actors. These perceptions are specific and might differ for different actors. In this research, we analyzed
the gender and across scales differences in the perception of a SES and unveiled the potential reasons
that shape the different actors’ understanding. Using structural analysis tools, we analyzed the
perceptions of local women, local men, and external stakeholders on the most relevant variables
shaping the actual and future sustainable management of a SES. The research was developed in
Santiago Comaltepec, an Indigenous community located in the Sierra de Oaxaca (Mexico) that manage
their forest under community-based strategies. The gender differences in perception showed the
inequalities in agency, voice, and power between women and men. The comparison of the perceptions
between community members and external stakeholders showed greater similarities, but still reflected
power differences and differences in knowledge and cultural representations. We concluded that
sound and resilient SES management need to recognize the gendered and across scales diversity in
perception, knowledge, and practices and create bridges and synergies among knowledge systems to
shape desirable trajectories.