Views of Private-Land Stewardship among Latinos on the Texas–Tamaulipas Border

Abstract

Successful conservation efforts require understanding predictors of private-land stewardship (PLS), its definitions, and what people feel they owe stewardship responsibility to. Various strands of research have touched on the concept, but there is little research focusing on how it is communicated and enacted among the lay public, especially among Latinos. We used a case study in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas to address this gap by identifying and assessing Latino views of PLS. Our results indicate positive relationships between self-identification as a land steward, male gender, and agricultural-land ownership. Respondents associated PLS with property maintenance (60%), natural-resource conservation (14%), and addressing pollution problems (21%). They viewed PLS as a responsibility owed to family rather than to a larger community.

Keywords:

• Conservation
• Gender
• Hispanic
• Lower Rio Grande Valley
• Mexico
• Property Rights
• Trans-boundary

Additional information

Notes on contributors

M. Nils Peterson

M. Nils Peterson, Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University

Tarla Rai Peterson

Tarla Rai Peterson, Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

Angelica Lopez

Angelica Lopez, Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University

Jianguo Liu

Jianguo Liu, Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University