Ambiente y Sustentabilidad, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Km 2.5 Antigua Carretera a Coatepec 351, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
Environ Manage. 2013 Mar;51(3):679-93. doi: 10.1007/s00267-012-9972-9. Epub 2012 Nov 6.
The La Antigua watershed drains into the Gulf of Mexico and can be considered as one of the most important areas in Mexico because of its high productivity, history, and biodiversity, although poverty remains high in the area in spite of these positive attributes. In this study, we performed an integrated assessment of the watershed to recommend a better direction toward a sustainable management in which the four capitals (natural, human, social, and built) are balanced. We contrasted these four capitals in the municipalities of the upper, middle and lower watershed and found that natural capital (natural ecosystems and ecosystem services) was higher in the upper and middle watershed, while human and social capitals (literacy, health, education and income) were generally higher downstream. Overall, Human Development Index was negatively correlated with the percentage of natural ecosystems in the watershed, especially in the upper and lower watershed regions. Our results indicate that natural capital must be fully considered in projections for increasing human development, so that natural resources can be preserved and managed adequately while sustaining intergenerational well-being.
拉安提瓜流域流入墨西哥湾，可以说是墨西哥最重要的地区之一，因为其具有高生产力、历史和生物多样性，尽管该地区尽管具有这些积极属性，但仍然存在高贫困。在这项研究中，我们对流域进行了综合评估，建议朝着可持续管理的方向发展，在这个方向中，四个资本（自然、人力、社会和建筑）是平衡的。我们对比了流域上游、中游和下游三个地区的这四个资本，发现自然资本（自然生态系统和生态系统服务）在上游和中游更高，而人力和社会资本（识字率、健康、教育和收入）则普遍下游更高。总体而言，人类发展指数与流域中自然生态系统的百分比呈负相关，尤其是在上游和下游流域地区。我们的结果表明，在预测人类发展时必须充分考虑自然资本，以便在保护和管理自然资源的同时，维持代际福祉。
