Socio-economic vulnerability in the Cumbres de Majalca NationalPark, Chihuahua, Mexico

Abstract

Natural Protected Areas (PNAs) provide fundamental benefits to society, contributing to the development of
future generations and helping to mitigate the effects of climate change; however, these areas are subject to
mainly anthropogenic impacts, which is why it is necessary to determine and monitor the levels of socioeconomic
vulnerability (PNAs) associated with them, in order to maintain their ecosystemic benefits. The objective was
to carry out a socioeconomic vulnerability diagnosis of the Cumbres de Majalca National Park (CMNP), in
the municipality of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, and to analyze the perception of the inhabitants regarding climate
change. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, and a survey was designed and applied to the
inhabitants of the park using simple random sampling. Correlation analysis between pairs of variables, principal
component analysis, cluster analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were carried out using
SAS® and Minitab® software. The results made it possible to identify differential socioeconomic vulnerability
among inhabitants, detecting high multivariate heterogeneity. The study sets a precedent so that the projects
undertaken in the National Park consider a focused attention according to the distinctive characteristics detected
in the groups of inhabitants and thus achieve the objectives for which it was created.