Abstract. Environmental observation schemes involving the participation of citizens have long been positioned worldwide as key mechanisms for supporting political and social decisions at different scales and for diverse objectives and interests. Various terms have been used (all in the same sense) to refer to the participatory monitoring of nature, including “locally-based monitoring”, “community-based monitoring”, “citizen science”, “stakeholder participation”, and “public participation”. This implies carrying out environmental monitoring activities with local inhabitants participating in all stages, from sample collection to data analysis and the proposal of actions based on the information collected and the trends identified. In Latin America, a region characterized by the continuous growth of urban populations that entails land-use changes and the ensuing loss of the ecosystem services provided by the surrounding environment, it is interesting to review collaborative initiatives of environmental observation from the “citizen science” perspective. These schemes can contribute to implementing effective participatory monitoring systems that, depending on the level of involvement of local inhabitants, may even become effective instruments for supporting government-led environmental conservation programs, especially under environmental budget shortages that are common in developing countries. This paper describes the participatory, community-based, water monitoring (MCP, for its acronym in Spanish) carried out by an academy-local community collaborative team in a forest community of the southwestern part of Mexico City during 2015-2017. Prior to monitoring, training was provided by the Global Water Watch organization; infrastructure and technical support were provided by two scientific research projects. The method used in the study comprised the following stages: i) monitoring the quantity of water and the physical-chemical and bacteriological quality in the drinking water supply sources (two springs and a stream) located in the forested area of the community, using simple but scientifically endorsed observation techniques; ii) measuring the same water variables in a sample from water supply points (23 households and two water storage tanks) in the urban zone of the community; iii) conducting a survey of social perception about the water supply service in the households visited; and iv) collecting water samples for measuring physical-chemical water quality parameters in the laboratory, to corroborate the evaluation made through MCP. Overall, good physical-chemical water quality was maintained over the two years of observations, but with serious bacteriological problems that would demand the implementation of water quality control measures jointly with the neighboring communities. The social perception revealed that the community experiences severe water shortages in terms of quantity (water is supplied per batches, making it necessary to have storage devices) and quality (as visually identified by turbidity). The survey also revealed a strong citizen awareness of the natural resources of the community and the need to preserve the forest (as the springs and stream that supply water to the community are located in the forested area), and ongoing voluntary community work to clean ravines, etc. Finally, this article discusses the usefulness of MCP schemes as means of social empowerment and communitybased decision-making in territorial planning at a local level. Also discussed is the potential of MCP to support the implementation of policy instruments for land-use planning and environmental conservation programs at a regional scale. This would require expanding the water MCP experience to address other issues such as biodiversity, reforestation, natural plant regeneration, etc. and building capacity on MCP methods in other communities. This envisions transforming the MCP mechanism into an effective environmental monitoring and surveillance scheme and using it in the collaborative design and implementation of environmental public policy instruments.
Resumen. En este trabajo se presenta la experiencia de Monitoreo Comunitario Participativo (MCP) del agua en una comunidad forestal de la periferia suroeste de la Ciudad de México, realizado durante 2015-2017 por un equipo colaborativo (academia-comunidad). Apoyándose en el marco conceptual de MCP, se desarrollan varias etapas del estudio: i) el monitoreo del agua en la zona forestal (fuentes de abastecimiento de agua potable); ii) las mediciones en la parte urbana de la comunidad (domicilios y tanques de almacenamiento); iii) la aplicación de una encuesta sobre percepción social del servicio del agua, y iv) la toma de muestras de la calidad del agua para el laboratorio (para corroborar la rigurosidad de los datos tomados mediante el MCP). Se observa una tendencia de preservación de una buena calidad físico-química del agua, con una severa problemática bacteriológica; por otro lado, existe conciencia social sobre la deficiente dotación del recurso y la necesidad de conservación forestal. Finalmente, se reflexiona sobre la necesidad de implementar medidas de control de la contaminación y sobre la utilidad del MCP para el empoderamiento social y la toma de decisiones comunitarias para planeación territorial a escala local.
