Tensions between Conservation and Sustainability and the Importance of Space and Place to New Mexicans - Essay Example

People are immersed in heroin addiction, endangering their lives even more. Nearly all of the agricultural fields in New Mexico are under irrigation due to long periods of drought. Water is scarce and is mainly collected in ditches. Water sharing is a lifestyle in New Mexico. Environmental conservation, therefore, is an issue that has taken center stage in the region. The need to conserve the forest resources in New Mexico is not without reason. There is a strong connection between the culture of the New Mexicans and their environment. This gives some insight into the political ecology in the region.

There is the subject of place and place-making among the people of New Mexico. Placemaking includes activities such as cleaning water ditches and irrigating the fields. Ecological and cultural diversity brings a sense of place. Environmental conservation, therefore, is largely a cultural issue. The forest resources mean life, literally, to most people. The Rio Grande, for instance, is a river that depends on forests. The forests also serve as places for hunting birds and animals which are used as food. The need to preserve the forests which give a lifeline to the rivers, and also act as hunting places, therefore, has a close connection to the way of life of New Mexicans, and that is political ecology.