Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Since the beginning of this century, the frontier region of the Sierra Madre, between Chiapas and Guatemala, has been the object of intense interest to the mining industry. Due to strong popular movements to defend the territory, few projects were carried out. Among these are controversial exploitations of barite in Chicomuselo, titanium in Soconusco, and silver and gold in Guatemala in the Marlin mine. The last project is the only one to have reached technical closure. Anti-mining activism, however, conceals a certain ambivalence on the part of sierran society, in the face of the socioeconomic exhaustion of the peasantry and agroecological wear by questioning the shared notion of defense of the territory and the future it envisions. Based on ethnographic work, supplemented by economic, historical, and hemerographic literature, this article uses the concept of the extractive frontier to explore the historical conditions that contributed to the apparent impasse that the peasants of the Sierra Madre face today, as they seek to preserve their livelihoods and their increasingly degraded territory, in the face of the sacrifice imposed by industry and the dislocation of their indigenous and agrarian communities.

The peasant families’ contemporary knowledge about the milpa systems comprises beliefs, knowledge, practices, feelings, and emotions. The objective of this research was to record and analyze this knowledge and its dynamics among families in the Usumacinta Canyon Flora and Fauna Protection Area in Tabasco (APFFCU, by its initials in Spanish), considering the historical and current context. We conducted participatory observation and semi-structured interviews. Likewise, we took routes of the milpa systems, elaborated biocultural calendars, and conducted ethnographic follow-ups with families in thirteen case studies. The analysis was qualitative, using a transdisciplinary ambispective study design. In the APFFCU, it was evident the abandonment, decline, and simplification of milpas before the government program Sembrando Vida; after its implementation, the milpas were reactivated through the Milpa Interspersed with Fruit Trees (MIAF, by its initials in Spanish) system. The knowledge, practices, and beliefs of milpa systems exhibit intense dynamics, which decrease or increase according to sociocultural characteristics, such as the age of the heads of household, the number of members per family, the main productive activity, and religion, among others. Feelings and emotions, in turn, consolidate the reproduction of milpa systems.

From an urban-environmental policy perspective, the southern periphery of Mexico City is strategic for the ecosystem services it provides. However, social, economic, and political interests persist despite State actions aimed at ecological territorial planning and conservation land management. Environmental management results from the interaction between multiple actors (State, social, and private) with diverse interests in natural resources. Therefore, we analyzed environmental management as a sociopolitical process with territorial expression. In particular, there is interest in understanding the role of actors and power relations in controlling strategic natural resources (such as forests and soil) and the environmental management of peri-urban territory. We based the research on ethnographic and documentary work conducted in the community of Topilejo. The results show that environmental management is not limited to State action, as it is mediated by power relations (with practices ranging from cooperation and defense of the common good to coercion and violence) between various actors (including extreme figures such as organized crime) who dispute peri-urban territory and impose their interests in a direction that may or may not coincide with environmental conservation.

It is essential to promote community forest management strategies to ensure the future production and availability of ecosystem services and to support an integrated approach to territorial management based on community entrepreneurship and Indigenous livelihoods. This research presents a comparative analysis of two Indigenous communities with similar socio-ecological characteristics that have implemented community forest management practices at different stages of organizational development. These differences have led to a greater production of ecosystem services in the more consolidated community and a lesser extent in the one still in the process of organizational formation, although it has already passed the initial development phase. The findings suggest that, for Indigenous communities engaged in community forest management to strengthen their institutional structures and organization, it is crucial not only to consider cultural, geographic, ecological, and regional differences, but also to focus on comprehensive territorial development. This includes building a community-based enterprise system that involves not only financial resources but also the fulfillment of collective responsibilities grounded in trust, reputation, and cooperative reciprocal behavior.

The relationship between society, culture(s), and environment is fundamental to understanding the quality, valorization, and profitability of the agri-food and wine sector. These relationships are being reconfigured and evolving in response to climate change and the transition to a sustainable future. Given this scenario, this article examines the sociocultural and environmental interdependence of these processes and how it manifests in the current transformations of the wine sector. To this end, this work proposes a theoretical approach that dialogues with the socio-environmental systems approach, the biocultural perspective, the anthropology of sustainability, and the concept of taskscape. This theoretical framework is contextualized and empirically examined through an approach to wine production in Baja California, Mexico, and California, USA. The comparative analysis shared addresses the concerns and challenges of the sustainable transition in the contexts studied. At the same time, it reflects the socio-environmental aspects that condition the current transformative adaptations of wine activity in response to the pressures of climate change and sustainability. The findings suggest lines of action in advancing to the sustainable transition and contribute to an integral understanding of the processes, learning, and changes involved.

In the context of the climate crisis and people’s growing disconnection from their urban environment, this study explores the role of placemaking in restoring emotional bonds with the city. We conducted a case study at the Huerto Roma Verde (HRV) in Mexico City to understand the causes and manifestations of this disruption in land attachment, evaluate the potential of community gardens to reverse it, and analyze their effects on social mobilization for sustainability. Through a qualitative methodology that included participant observation and semi-structured interviews, we analyzed the results from the sociocultural perspective of emotions. The results indicate that placemaking at the HRV is a social process that offers a green refuge in the city, strengthening the sense of belonging and reactivating local attachment. In turn, collaborative activities and workshops facilitate emotional management and the construction of support networks to address the climate crisis. Furthermore, pro-environmental practices and spaces for dialogue foster awareness and attachment to the planet.

The emergence of modern environmentalism can be identified with the debates promoted during the Stockholm Summit (1972). The environmental institutionalizing issue process at the international level gives that year a founding milestone. During that period, a school of thought established itself as a benchmark within environmentalism: neo-Malthusianism. Fifty years later, its influence remains significant, mainly because it is not recognized as such but adopted as a tacit agreement among multiple trends within environmentalism that we can observe in various aspects, among which we will discuss the following: i) the dissociation between humanity and nature, ii) the physical-natural character of the "limits" of nature, and iii) the methodologies and instruments for environmental analysis. This essay draws on secondary sources, such as texts by some leading environmentalists, official documents, and public statements by environmental organizations (associated with the topics analyzed). These sources highlight the influence that neo-Malthusian ideology still has on environmental thought.

Book Review of Omar Felipe Giraldo (2024). Retorno al humus: una meditación ambientalsobre la muerte. Mexico: Grupo Editorial Heredad, 76 pp. https://www.heredadpalabras.com/retornoalhumus?srsltid=AfmBOoo8KmoP4QzhIkondsHco1Y0w62dV4r6gSPTCEzXpZzCE2_SoEzB

This research analyzed the employability prospects and challenges of Generation Alpha in Ecuador in the face of technological and educational transformations. A systematic exploratory review with a qualitative approach was implemented, selecting recent scientific literature from databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, ERIH PLUS, SciELO, and Redalyc, using inductive thematic analysis to identify educational and employment trends. Results showed that Generation Alpha develops early digital skills, but only 45% of Ecuadorian educational institutions have adequate technological infrastructure. Additionally, 78% of teachers need training in digital skills to implement hybrid methodologies. 68% of jobs this generation will hold do not yet exist, while automation will transform 50% of current jobs. Analysis revealed that balancing digital and socio-emotional skills will be decisive for sustainable employability. The study concludes that the adaptability of the educational system is key to preparing this generation, requiring digital inclusion policies, continuous teacher training, and public-private collaboration to close technological gaps.

This systematic review examines the relationship between teaching practices and academic motivation in higher education using the PRISMA methodology with a qualitative approach. Eighteen studies published between 2019-2023 were rigorously analyzed, selected from 693 initial references in Scopus, Web of Science, and Mendeley, applying specific inclusion criteria and thematic categorization. Findings reveal that teaching strategies fostering autonomy, active learning, and personalized instruction significantly increase student motivation. Faculty socio-emotional competencies, particularly empathy and enthusiasm, prove decisive in strengthening academic engagement. Evidence shows that motivation acts as a mediating variable between pedagogical practices and performance, confirming a direct correlation between active methodologies and high levels of involvement. The research identifies challenges in teacher training regarding motivational strategies and in the objective assessment of pedagogical practices. The review concludes that optimizing teaching practices substantially improves both motivation and academic performance of university student.