Geography

Fragile lands, fragile organizations: Indian organizations and the politics of sustainability in Ecuador

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Recent discussions of resource management suggest that one of the most important factors in sustaining use systems on fragile lands is the strength of local representative institutions. The paper discusses the experiences of several Indian federations in Ecuador that occupy fragile environments under increasing pressure from processes of national and local development. These federations have sought to identify resource management strategies to resist these destabilizing forces and so allow continued Indian occupance of these lands. The most successful strategies to date have been those that combine traditional and modern practices in a way that responds to Indians' increasing consumption requirements and to grassroots management capacities. This empirical analysis is related to a discussion of points of contact between the debates on rural democratization and on traditional resource management. A dialogue between these perspectives could lead to analyses that are at once more reflective of local realities and more able to contribute to the development of viable local resource use strategies. -from Authors

Publication Title

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers

Publication Date

1-1-1993

Volume

18

Issue

2

First Page

179

Last Page

196

ISSN

1475-5661

DOI

10.2307/622361

Keywords

Ecuador; Fragile Lands; Participatory Research; Development; Local Organizations; Indigenous Technologsustainable agriculture, land use, ecological sustainability, land management, sustainable development, natural resources conservation, sustainable land management, agroecology, cultural identity, sustainable technology

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