The premise for this article, then, is that community forestry in Mexico
illustrates how interested citizens (in this case indigenous citizens) are
integrated into decision – making processes which, at least ideally, are
ecologically sustainable, equitable and democratic or in other words into
ecological democracy. Two questions guide this research : first, has local
political mobilisation occurred in response to changes in forest management
regimes? Second, what democratic and environmental themes emerge from
indigenous forms of forest management, which illustrate ecological democracy
? Following this introduction, some theoretical premises of ecological
democracy and community forestry are reviewed. The next section provides
an empirical evaluation of democratic and environmental themes and relevant
factors in two indigenous communities of the Sierra Notre. The subsequent
discussion examines key comparative points that address the two principle
research questions.