Land use scenarios: a communication tool with local communities

The municipality of La Huacana in the Mexican state of Michoacan, is currently undergoing a process of intense land use change, which has severe environmental repercussions. This dry tropical region has a high rate of population emigration leading to the abandonment of crop land, largely due to the low agricultural yields. At the same time small-estate holders are converting the forest cover to pasture. All of these topics have resulted in land degradation and increased water depletion, which are already some of the most severe problems in the region.