ABSTRACT
In order to stop and reverse deforestation and land use changes, a series of management integral actions must be undertaken, which will help to direct rural communities on the path towards sustainability. However, they are required to include not only ecological elements of biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration, but also the social and economic counterpart: production systems, management policies, marketing strategies and effective funding schemes. In this chapter we present a framework called “biocultural resource management” based on 20 years of academic and practical experiences in the fi eld of ethnoecological restoration and resource management, in tropical Mexico. We propose a feasible way to develop productive conservative strategies and community projects in rural tropical areas. The consideration of actual land use, local socio-economic problems and the expectations of the people involved, emphasizing cultural factors, are essential for better planning and more sustainable decisions. In the context of the current tropical areas, interdisciplinary and participatory methods are the most viable way to achieve biocultural resources conservation. Practical instruments for working with communities are landscape management plans that include productive, conservation and restoration projects considering human settlements, which represent sustainable alternatives for communities to develop sustainable societies.
