Community Environmental Management: Challenges and Opportunities for a Rural Community of Acapulco, Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18800/kawsaypacha.202502.A008Keywords:
Community participation, Community strategies, Local management, Rural community, Socio-environmental problems, Acapulco, MexicoAbstract
Community-based environmental management (CBEM) is an effective tool for addressing environmental issues with the participation of local communities. The objective of this study was to explore the implementation of a CBEM program to address socio-environmental problems, as well as its challenges and opportunities, as perceived from local knowledge—in this case, that of the rural community of El Arenal in Acapulco, Mexico. Field immersion and exploration were used to strengthen CBEM. Additionally, a series of participatory workshops were held with the community to identify socio-environmental issues. Based on the collected information, a SWOT analysis was conducted to identify scenarios of challenges and opportunities. Strategic management (SM) tools were used to perform this analysis. The results showed a preoperational scope, and the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats indicated that internal conditions are favorable, but external ones are not, as they depend on institutions. In conclusion, the participatory construction of a CBEM program would lead to an improvement in the relationship between the El Arenal community and the Tres Palos lagoon. It would also serve to empower the community in aspects such as control, surveillance, use, utilization, and management of natural resources.
Downloads
References
Adeleke, O.; Akinlabi, S. A.; Jen, T.-C. & Dunmade, I. (2022). Environmental impact assessment of the current, emerging, and alternative waste management systems using life cycle assessment tools: A case study of Johannesburg, South Africa. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(5), 7366-7381. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-16198-y
Arrieta Jiménez, V.; Cervantes Borrero, Y. E.; De la Cruz Lara, L. M. & López Cadena, D. M. (2021). La importancia del diagnóstico estratégico en las organizaciones. Económicas CUC, 42(2), 243-254
Arrieta-Robles, N. G.; Arellano-Wences, H. J.; Reyes-Umaña, M.; Rodríguez-Alviso, C.; Barragán-Bautista, E. & González-González, J. (2025). Cobertura de mangle en la laguna de Coyuca, México: Propuesta de actualización desde la perspectiva local. Revista Científica del Amazonas, 8(15). https://doi.org/10.34069/RA/2025.15.01
Beardmore, A.; Jones, M. & Seal, J. (2023). Outcome harvesting as a methodology for the retrospective evaluation of small-scale community development interventions. Evaluation and Program Planning, 97, 102235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102235
Cardona-Castaño, J.; Rodriguez-Alviso, C. R.; Maganda-Ramírez, M.; Villerías-Salinas, S.; Brito-Carmona, R. & Aparicio-López, J. (2023). Community perspective of the fishing activity in El Arenal de Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. Agro Productividad. https://doi.org/10.32854/agrop.v16i7.2562
Carley, M.; Smith, M. & Varadarajan, S. (1991). A network approach to enhanced environmental management. Project Appraisal, 6(2), 66-74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02688867.1991.9726797
Casarrubias-Jaimez, A. I.; Juárez-López, A. L.; Rosas-Acevedo, J. L.; Reyes-Umaña, M.; Rodríguez-Herrera, A. L. & Ramos-Quintana, F. (2021). Feasibility Analysis of the Sustainability of the Tres Palos Coastal Lagoon: A Multifactorial Approach. Sustainability, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020537
Chang, Y. J. & Yoo, J. W. (2023). How Does the Degree of Competition in an Industry Affect a Company’s Environmental Management and Performance? Sustainability, 15(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097675
Chicaiza-Lema, N. F.; Chicaiza-Lema, B.; Velasco-Guerra, A. E. & Mena-Garzón, N. de J. (2022). Diagnóstico de la gestión administrativa en la Compañía de Transporte «Rutas Salcedenses» a través de herramienta de análisis FODA. Polo del Conocimiento, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.23857/pc.v7i3.3781
CONABIO (2 de abril de 2025). Portal de Información Geográfica. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO). http://geoportal.conabio.gob.mx/
Covarrubias-Melgar, F.; Rodríguez-Herrera, A. L.; Galan-Castro, E. A.; Ruz-Vargas, M. I. & Reyes-Umaña, M. (2022). La participación y gobernanza en la planeación urbana de Acapulco. Regions and Cohesion, 12(3), 110-133. https://doi.org/10.3167/reco.2022.120306
Crawford, R. H.; Mathur, D. & Gerritsen, R. (2017). Barriers to Improving the Environmental Performance of Construction Waste Management in Remote Communities. Procedia Engineering, 196, 830-837. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.08.014
Estermann, J. (2018). Interculturalidad y conocimiento andino: Reflexiones acerca de la monocultura Epistemológica. Revista Kawsaypacha: Sociedad y Medio Ambiente, 2, 11-32. https://doi.org/10.18800/kawsaypacha.201801.001
Etongo, D.; Lafleur, H. & Vel, T. (2023). Community perceptions and attitudes towards the management of protected areas in Seychelles with Morne Seychellois National Park as case study. World Development Sustainability, 3, 100091. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2023.100091
Fan, L.-P. & Chung, H.-C. (2023). Impact of Environmental Leadership on Environmental Behavior: The Mediating Effects of Green Culture, Environmental Management, and Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility. Sustainability, 15(24). https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416549
Febres, S. L. (2017). Responsabilidad social empresarial. Revista Kawsaypacha: Sociedad y Medio Ambiente, 1, 139-153. https://doi.org/10.18800/kawsaypacha.201701.005
Galán Castro, E. A.; Juárez López, A. L. & Casarrubias Jáimez, A. I. (2023). La gestión de residuos en Acapulco, Guerrero. Acercamientos desde la antropología del Estado. Iztapalapa. Revista de ciencias sociales y humanidades, 44(94), 193-219. https://doi.org/10.28928/ri/942023/aot4/galancastroe/juarezlopeza/casarrubiasjaimeza
Galarce-Sosa, K. (14 de febrero de 2023). Pierde la laguna de Tres Palos de Acapulco 36% de manglar en 15 años. Quadratín Guerrero. https://guerrero.quadratin.com.mx/pierde-la-laguna-de-tres-palos-de-acapulco-36-de-manglar-en-15-anos/
Gawel, A. M.; Wald, D. M. & Rogers, H. S. (2024). Community perceptions of invasive species and environmental management in a US island territory. Conservation Biology, 38(6), e14394. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14394
Hale, J.; Irish, A.; Carolan, M.; Clark, J. K.; Inwood, S.; Jablonski, B. B. R. & Johnson, T. (2023). A systematic review of cultural capital in U.S. community development research. Journal of Rural Studies, 103, 103113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103113
Henriksen, L. F.; Kamnde, K.; Silvano, P.; Olwig, M. F.; Mwamfupe, A. & Gallemore, C. (2023). Strong collaborative governance networks support effective Forest Stewardship Council-certified community-based forest management: Evidence from Southeast Tanzania. Global Environmental Change, 82, 102734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2023.102734
Herse, M. R.; Lyver, P. O.; Scott, N.; McIntosh, A. R.; Coats, S. C.; Gormley, A. M. & Tylianakis, J. M. (2020). Engaging Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Environmental Management Could Alleviate Scale Mismatches in Social-Ecological Systems. BioScience, 70(8), 699-707. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa066
Huerta Cruz, S. Y.; González Lovato, C. F.; Mosquera Pozo, M. B. & Herrera Franco, D. J. (2023). Estrategias de fortalecimiento basado en la matriz FODA. Caso de estudio de emprendimientos en la zona playera del cantón Salitre, Ecuador. Cofin Habana, 17(1). http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_abstractypid=S2073-60612023000100009ylng=esynrm=isoytlng=pt
Juárez-Islas, L.; Rodríguez-Alviso, C.; Aparicio-López, J.; Villerías-Salinas, S. & Castro-Bello, M. (2023). Análisis socioambiental de la Laguna de Tres Palos, México: Un enfoque socioecosistémico. Regions and Cohesion, 13(2), 53-78. https://doi.org/10.3167/reco.2023.130204
Kamaruddin, S. M.; Ahmad, P. & Alwee, N. (2016). Community Awareness on Environmental Management through Local Agenda 21 (LA21). Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 222, 729-737. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.234
Karres, N.; Kang, S.; Aldous, A.; Pattison-Williams, J. K. & Masuda, Y. J. (2022). How effective is community-based management of freshwater resources? A review. Journal of Environmental Management, 323, 116161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116161
Kasych, A.; Suler, P. & Rowland, Z. (2020). Corporate Environmental Responsibility through the Prism of Strategic Management. Sustainability, 12(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229589
Kilajian, A. & Chareonsudjai, P. (2021). Conflict resolution and community engagement in post-audit EIA environmental management: Lessons learned from a mining community in Thailand. Environmental Challenges, 5, 100253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2021.100253
Kim, S.; Vaiman, V. & Sanders, K. (2022). Strategic human resource management in the era of environmental disruptions. Human Resource Management, 61(3), 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22107
Kirgil, Z. M. & Wittek, R. (2024). Cooperation sustainability in small groups: Exogenous and endogenous dynamics of the sustainability of cooperation. Rationality and Society, 36(1), 93-121. https://doi.org/10.1177/10434631231209832
Leal, M. E. (2009). La responsabilidad y la gestión medioambiental de la industria maquiladora. Un estudio de caso. Contaduría y Administración, 221. https://doi.org/10.22201/fca.24488410e.2007.607
Liu, P.; Zhao, Y.; Ravenscroft, N. & Harder, M. K. (2020). Responsibility-driven collective action in the context of rapid rural depopulation. Journal of Rural Studies, 75, 48-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.02.008
Lu, X.; Lu, Z.; Mao, J.; Sun, Z.; Cui, Z.; Huang, Y. & Cao, K. (2023). Place attachment as an indicator of public participation in low-carbon community development: A case study of Beijing, China. Ecological Indicators, 154, 110658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.110658
Mallar, M. Á. (2010). La Gestión Por Procesos: Un Enfoque De Gestión Eficiente. Revista Científica «Visión de Futuro», 13(1). https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=357935475004
Mazhitov, D.; Ermilova, M.; Altukhova, E.; Maksimova, T. & Zhdanova, O. (2019). Development of technologies and processes in environmental management. E3S Web of Conferences, 135, 04045. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/201913504045
Musavengane, R. & Simatele, D. M. (2016). Community-based natural resource management: The role of social capital in collaborative environmental management of tribal resources in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 33(6), 806-821. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2016.1231054
Obasi, M. C. & Msughter, A. E. (2023). Assessment of media coverage of environmental hazards in mining communities in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Environmental Challenges, 13, 100758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envc.2023.100758
Olobia, L. P. (2024). Go City Green Through a Community of Practice: Knowledge Management for Environmental Sustainability. Journal of Innovative Research, 2(3). https://doi.org/10.54536/jir.v2i3.2956
Peñafiel Nivela, G. A.; Acurio Armas, J. A.; Manosalvas Gómez, L. R. & Burbano Castro, B. E. (2020). Formulación de estrategias para el desarrollo empresarial de la constructora Emanuel en el cantón La Maná. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 12(4), 45-55.
Piabuo, S. M.; Ingram, V.; Runhaar, H.; Hoogstra-Klein, M.; Foundjem-Tita, D. & Minang, P. A. (2023). Community capacity for social enterprise development: Empirical evidence from community forest enterprises (CFEs) in Cameroon. Environmental Development, 47, 100884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2023.100884
Puiu, S. & Udri?tioiu, M. T. (2023). Environmental Volunteering Projects Management: A Multivariate Analysis of Volunteers’ Perspective on the Knowledge and Skills Gained, Their Involvement in Community Life and the Role of Environmental Monitoring Sensors. Sustainability, 15(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/su151411139
Rojas Casarrubias, C.; Aparicio López, J. L.; Rodríguez Alviso, C.; Castro Bello, M. & Villerías Salinas, S. (2025). Community Environmental Leadership and Sustainability: Building Knowledge from the Local Level. Sustainability, 17(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17083626
Sattayapanich, T.; Janmaimool, P. & Chontanawat, J. (2022). Factors Affecting Community Participation in Environmental Corporate Social Responsibility Projects: Evidence from Mangrove Forest Management Project. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 8(4), 209. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc8040209
Sumardjo, Firmansyah, A.; Dharmawan, L.; Kriswatriyono, A. & Wulandari, Y. (2022). Environmental Management System Toward Sustainable Development Goals Achievement Base on Community Empowerment in Peri-Urban. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 950(1), 012067. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/950/1/012067
Tadege, W. & Nigusie, E. (2023). Culture and Development: In the case of Waghemra Community, Northern Ethiopia. Social Sciences y Humanities Open, 8(1), 100645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100645
Tseng, C.-H.; Chang, K.-H. & Chen, H.-W. (2021). Strategic Orientation, Environmental Management Systems, and Eco-Innovation: Investigating the Moderating Effects of Absorptive Capacity. Sustainability, 13(21), Article 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112147
Utari, A. W.; Asteria, D. & Nowo Martono, D. (2021). The effect of motivation for public participation in environmental management. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 716(1), 012052. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/716/1/012052
Valarezo-Beltron, C. (2022). Diagnóstico situacional para la gestión estratégica de la Asociación Asopapropie en Membrillo, Ecuador | ECA. Sinergia, 13(3), 65-72.
Van Assche, K.; Beunen, R.; Gruezmacher, M. & Duineveld, M. (2020). Rethinking strategy in environmental governance. Journal of Environmental Policy y Planning, 22(5), 695-708. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2020.1768834
Vasco-Leal, J. F.; Cuellar-Nuñez, L.; Vivanco-Vargas, M.; Solís-Lozano, J. A.; Díaz-Calzada, M. E. & Méndez-Gallegos, S. de J. (2022). Agribusiness potential of castor oil plant (Ricinus communis L.) in Mexico. Agro Productividad. https://doi.org/10.32854/agrop.v15i5.2267
Vásquez-Santamaría, J.-E. & Pabón-Mantilla, A.-P. (2025). Los derechos de acceso en asuntos ambientales. Análisis desde experiencias de defensores ambientales en Colombia. Revista Kawsaypacha: Sociedad y Medio Ambiente, 15, D-003. https://doi.org/10.18800/kawsaypacha.202501.D003
Villamayor-Tomas, S.; Hermann, A.; van der Lingen, L. & Hayes, T. (2022). Community-based water markets and collective payment for ecosystem services: Toward a theory of community-based environmental markets. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 59, 101221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2022.101221
Voogt, D. L. & Patterson, J. J. (2019). Exogenous factors in collective policy learning: The case of municipal flood risk governance in the Netherlands. Journal of Environmental Policy y Planning, 21(3), 302-319. https://doi.org/10.1080/1523908X.2019.1623662
Zhang, X. & Saadé, R. G. (2025). Towards a Deeper Understanding of Strategic Management Factors in International Non-Governmental Organizations. Administrative Sciences, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15020034
