Multidisciplinary commission for the sustainable development of San Miguel Almaya

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of the “Multidisciplinary Commission for the Sustainable Development of San Miguel Almaya”, created in this community of Otomi origin in the State of Mexico, with the purpose of following up on the tourism actions promoted in 2006 by the federal and state Tourism Secretariats to take advantage of its potential centered on the “San Miguel Almaya” lagoon, located one kilometer from the urban area of ​​the town, and on an extinct volcano called Quilotzin. Despite having built two stages of an ecotourism park, it was not completed; the local authorities decided to manage resources to continue it, but in view of the scarce information about the project and a broader vision of development that did not only include actions in favor of tourism, they formed said Commission in 2010. The purpose of this document is to analyze, through the approach of public policy networks, the role played by its members in decision-making, in order to establish whether they fostered conditions for tourism and sustainability in the community. The study was based on the methodologies of Cruz (2008) and Zabaleta (2006), which identify the objectives, interests, resources, capacities, limitations and attributions, among other elements, that influence the establishment of relations between public, private and social actors; in this case, the network formed within the Commission. The information was derived from documentary and empirical research that included meetings with local authorities and in-depth interviews. As a result, it is highlighted that the decisions taken within the framework of the Commission, as well as the exclusion of certain actors, hindered the sustainable development of the community, basically due to an insufficient capacity for negotiation between its members and asymmetry in their objectives and interests. This led to little commitment and low cooperation when trying to solve the normative, economic, ecological and cultural problems of the community, which if not addressed promptly will put the tourism potential of the area at risk.