What can be done to maintain balance between people and the ecosystem?

Tianyi Peng

Mexico government has developed strategies to promote the conservation and restoration of tropical dry forest. One of the ways is to stimulate conservation through payment for environmental services (Sanchez-Azofeifa, 2013). According to Sanchez-Azofeifa (2013), the most important environmental services are “(1)pollination of crops by wild pollinator species…, (2) protection of watersheds and aquifers…,(3) carbon sequestration by mature and regenerating forests”. As a result, the government proposes the creation of “Ejidos’ protected areas network" (Sanchez-Azofeifa, A., 2013). In this system, government and reserves work together to provide peasants with technical assistance, training, educational programs and environmental service related employment. Peasants can work for the protection of the forest and get payment. Also, communication between the Ejidos and biosphere reserves should be enforced (Sanchez-Azofeifa, 2003, p.33). While governmental assistance is important for the industrial restructuring and long-term sustainable relationship between peasants and ecosystems, mandatory regulations should also be imposed to prevent forests from further damage. Peasants should “stop man-made fires, hunting, cattle ranching and other free-ranging perturbations” in the adjacent region of dry forest (Wilson, Peter, National Academy of Science & Smithsonian Institute, 1988, p. 134-135). Furthermore, rain forest wildlands should also be preserved “within migratory reach of the dry forest areas that are subject to restoration” (Wilson et al, 1988).