Environmental Awareness of the Young in a Rural Community in the Sierra Tarahumara, Chihuahua, Mexico

With the aim at exploring the environmental awareness of the young sector in a predominantly indigenous community, fifty structured street interviews were applied to young individuals, aged 14 to 21, attending schools at Turuachi, a distant undeveloped rural community in the Sierra Tarahumara, in the State of Chihuahua, Northern Mexico. The data were analyzed by the software SPSS® (Statistical Package for Social Sciences). Most of the interviewees showed a good knowledge of basic ecology concepts. However, their perception of environmental problems appeared to be more influenced by everyday experiences. Despite forest being a major natural resource in the area, the group studied viewed cropping as the main economic activity. The main environmental problem was garbage pollution followed by deforestation and drought. The Chi2 test showed that women had a stronger perception than men about the garbage issue (p<0.057) and a clear disposition (p<0.001) to participate in municipal cleaning campaigns. Nearly all the participants were willing to engage in activities to preserve environmental quality; community action and specific workshops were selected as viable organization alternatives. Key words: environmental education, community participation, environmental problems