Fostering planetary health in polluted environments: lessons from the Xonacatlán Indigenous Council in Mexico

The communities of El Salto and Juanacatlán face negative impacts on human and ecosystem health due to their proximity to the second-largest industrial area in Mexico. Despite living in a region negatively impacted by high levels of pollution, these communities have organised to foster planetary health by reforesting with native plants, campaigning to stop further industrial development, and founding the Xonacatlán Indigenous Council (XIC) to reclaim traditional ways of living. This research project seeks to advance insights on the implications of fostering planetary health from the perspective of communities facing adverse socioeconomic and environmental conditions.

This qualitative study draws from participatory action research, Indigenous storywork, and ethnography. The XIC acted as the community advisory board of this research project and two XIC members are part of the research team. We investigate whether the stories and practices of community members associated with XIC contribute to fostering planetary health. Research activities will include 40-60 participants in storytelling interviews, story-making workshops, and participant observation in XIC activities. Data collection started on Nov 20, 2023, and will be finalised in August, 2024.

Our ethnographic analysis investigates local understandings of the relationships between human and ecosystem health. Anticipated findings include stories about the rejection of narratives of industrial progress due to environmental damage, the reconnection with Coca identities and traditional ways of relating to the land, and the use of direct action to counteract the negligence of the state-sponsored public health system and assert local planetary health needs.

By assessing grassroots Coca Indigenous action as a site of collective expertise on planetary health, we expect that this research project will bring attention to how people living in polluted environments can inform the conceptual development of planetary health and expand the range of practical initiatives that are considered fundamental to sustaining human and ecosystem life.

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