The Communal Assets of Santo Domingo Huehuetlán as an Example of Sustainable Community Development

Abstract

In contrast with its biological and cultural wealth, the community of Bienes Comunes de Santo Domingo Huehuetlán is characterized by high levels of poverty and marginality. The aim of this study was to analyze the history, organization and strategies which have enabled this community to defend and make sustainable use of its common pool resources. Participatory methodologies were used to create meeting and socialization spaces for the exchange of experiences and the documentation of the decision-making processes applied for resource management and social, cultural and economic activities. The processes of governmental intervention were observed, giving insight into the communal management of common pool resources, as well as traditional knowledge-based community organization, in which common pool resources are regulated by local rules and agreements. The community’s spatial planning takes into account areas of production, conservation, and use, and the defense of its land against multinational mining projects. While community development has its limitations, it is a viable and participatory guidance model which responds to unfavorable factors and secures the common pool resources for the community.