Environmental degradation, poverty, and sustainable development : a case study of rural Mexico and the community of Ayotitlán

Abstract

This thesis was written by Darcy Tetreault. It is entitled "Environmental Degradation, Poverty, and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Rural Mexico and the Community of Ayotitlán." It begins by exploring the theoretical issues surrounding sustainable development; this is followed by a study of rural Mexico that investigates links between immediate causes of environmental degradation and broader social, economic, and political conditions; and it ends with a case study of a marginalized indigenous community within rural Mexico: Ayotitlán. The findings of this research suggest that the model of development that is currently being pursued by the Mexican government is not sustainable (either ecologically or socially), and that, in order to overcome the country's serious environmental problems, major structural adjustments need to be made so as to give marginalized people more control over their local natural resources, and more say in national-level decision-making.