Patricia Moguel Viveros: Peacebuilding Through Indigenous Agroforestry

In Cristobal, Panama, Peace Boat participants welcomed on board guest educator Patricia Moguel. Patricia received her Master of Science in Environmental and Sustainable Development Studies from the Colegio de México, and has a Ph.D. in Agroecology from the University of Andalucía, Spain. During her career as an ecologist, she has focused on projects related to the conservation of indigenous agroforests, community resilience, environmental education, and artistic human development. Her vast experience led to her creation and founding of the Art Ecology and Culture Center, also known as ECOFE, to help train and educate aspiring environmental leaders. As of late, she has focused on reconstruction and resilience through the means of dance, music, and movement as seen with her “Affective Resilient Ecopedagogy” ideology. Patricia’s methodology of combining the arts and environmentalism has been applied to workshops at institutions in Mexico and Japan. During her time on Peace Boat, Patricia was able to share her knowledge with participants on the topic of agroforests and lectured on how to improve environmental education. 

Biodiversity reservoirs

Being from Mexico and having expertise in ecology, Patricia has connected her interest in agroforests with her research into the use of tropical forests by indigenous people in Mexico. During her first lecture, she dove into the topic of indigenous agroforests with a focus on what those environments look like and why they are important to protect. Patricia has collaborated with other researchers to provide data and empirical research on the topic of indigenous multiple-use strategy in tropical forest management in Mexico, which is seen to be an adaptive approach. As she lectured, Patricia expressed how “the indigenous agroforests that are located in the intertropical tropical region of the planet are one of the most valuable agroecosystems all over the world because of their important role in cultural and biodiversity conservation.” This is because of five main reasons: indigenous agroforests are the primary biodiversity reservoirs, a leading source of commodities, provide environmental services for local livelihoods and global processes, maintain a high level of diversity throughout the tropical region, and decrease deforestation and degradation within the regions. 

^{Patricia Moguel on environmental conservation and peace.}

Similar to how Peace Boat focuses on peace education based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which encompasses a wide range of meanings of sustainability, Patricia focuses specifically on the promotion and importance of environmental education to promote sustainability and peace. She discussed with the participants how educating people on protecting nature could be done effectively, and connected this with the arts by having all the participants take part in an eco-dance together. Patricia has shifted much of her focus toward environmental education because she believes that it is through the education of principles, values, and practices of sustainable development that it is possible to properly integrate and promote positive behavioral changes concerning environmental integrity, economic viability, and social justice for the present day and into the future. In brainstorming how to introduce new elements into environmental education, she thought to bring in a new education paradigm that would include art, music, dance, poetry, cinema, sculpture, painting, and more to be able to culturally express and overcome challenges faced in the environmental sector. 

^{Participants taking part in an eco-dance.}

During Patricia’s time on Peace Boat, she was able to share her knowledge on indigenous agroforests and the significance of preserving and protecting them and was excited to work with participants on how they could improve environmental education in their communities with the implementation of the arts and cultural diversity. Patricia’s dedication to research with a focus on indigenous communities and creativity in combining the arts with environmental education will continue to play a fundamental role in the progression and efficacy of peace education.