Perceptions and sustainable actions under land degradation and climate change: the case of a remnant wetland in Mexico City

Negative impacts of environmental degradation and climate change are exacerbated when they co-occur in a single region, threatening people's way of life. In addition, historical and territorial processes generate a complex mosaic of interactions of residents and nonresidents, with a wide diversity of livelihoods. This generates a series of social, environmental and political conflicts in the territory. These conflicts have triggered an accelerated process of degradation, overexploitation and pressure on the Lacustrine Zone of Xochimilco (LZX). Therefore, research on how people’s opinions and perceptions into decisions could help to generate a baseline for further collaboration. We documented the perceptions of nonresidents that are involved in decision making in the LZX in terms of degradation and climate change impacts and their opinions on the actions that could help strengthen the resilience of this area. According to our results, environment and culture were the most relevant features of the LZX, while social and institutional features were the most problematic ones. Additionally, nonresident actors emphasized the tendency of the LZX to collapse, which could become even more likely due to the impacts of climate change. To address these problems, restoring the “chinampa” type of production and implementing alternative tourism were the most frequently proposed actions, while training, involving stakeholders, and strengthening governance were the most frequently proposed strategies.