Local Knowledge of Sediment Exploitation in the Usumacinta River Basin: A Theoretical–Methodological Framework Proposal

Víctor Gallardo Zavaleta, Luzma Fabiola Nava (), Edith Kauffer and Octavio González Santana
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Víctor Gallardo Zavaleta: El Colegio de Michoacán. Sede Zamora. Av. Martínez Navarrete 505, Las Fuentes, Zamora de Hidalgo, Zamora 59699, Mexico
Luzma Fabiola Nava: CONACyT—Departamento de Ingeniería Geomática e Hidráulica, División de Ingenierías, Campus Guanajuato, Universidad de Guanajuato, Av. Juárez 77, Guanajuato 38096, Mexico
Edith Kauffer: Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social, Unidad Regional Sureste, Carretera a San Juan Chamula km. 3.5, s/n, Barrio La Quinta San Martín, San Cristóbal de Las Casas, San Cristobal de las Casas 29247, Mexico
Octavio González Santana: El Colegio de Michoacán. Sede Zamora. Av. Martínez Navarrete 505, Las Fuentes, Zamora de Hidalgo, Zamora 59699, Mexico

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: According to the United Nations Environmental Program, sand is the second most exploited resource on the planet after water, and local knowledge about the effects of sand mining has been little addressed in international studies. In the case of rivers, the sand and gravel used in the construction industry are part of the fluvial sediments, and the effects are different at each exploitation site. In this article, we propose a theoretical–methodological framework of the sandy field of forces for the study of the socioenvironmental aspects related to the extraction of sand and gravel at the site known as La Isla, located in the Usumacinta River Basin in Mexico. This site has specific environmental and social characteristics. Based on the results of our participation in a research project and, subsequently, on the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological thinking for the social analysis of this site, our model demonstrates how the environmental and anthropic systems converge upon the use of sediments. We conclude that social interactions articulate the conditions of the specific context. The sandy field of forces is the reference context in which the local practices of the actors regarding the use of sand and gravel make sense.

Keywords: sandy field of forces; sand mining; sediments; aggregates; local actors; Tenosique; Usumacinta River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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