A diagnosis of land degradation in Oaxaca: the case of the Yute Ndaa, Ñuu Ndeku, Ñuu Savi Watershed

Land degradation is a first order global problem. The objective of this piece of research was to generate a diagnosis of land degradation in the watershed of Yute Ndaa. The methodological approach considered I) morphometric characterization of the watershed and sociocultural processes, II) mapping, classification and characterization of the peasant land, III) inventory and general characterization of degradation, IV) detailed evaluation of the types of major degradation, and V) analysis, discussion and systematization of results. The understanding of this complex issue, where biophysical and socio-economic systems interact, has led to a transdisciplinary process in which the participation of local experts from the territory is essential. Fertility decline and water erosion are the main types of degradation in the area, and its rate is expected to increase due to land abandonment and lack of labor force caused by intense migration, a situation that may remain, thus risking the great biocultural heritage already threatened by “modernity” “progress” and “development”.