Community Environmental Leadership and Sustainability: Building Knowledge from the Local Level

Abstract

The objective of this study was to document an experience of training community environmental leaders in the context of sustainable development in localities surrounding the Chautengo Lagoon, Guerrero, Mexico. Specifically, we explored the epistemological, theoretical, deontological, and pedagogical–didactic components that must be considered when designing a training process for community environmental leaders in rural contexts. A mixed, descriptive, transversal approach was used to articulate scientific knowledge with local knowledge. Twelve semi-structured interviews identified potential environmental leaders, while nineteen surveys assessed training needs. Subsequently, a tailored capacity-building program was designed, implemented, and evaluated, which assessed empirical knowledge of communities and sustainable practices. A total of 19 leaders with organizational and mobilization skills were trained, successfully engaging 1500 people in an environmental cleanup campaign. The program covered key topics such as sustainable development management, environmental education for sustainability, and local governance, resulting in the formation of an environmental advocacy committee. Participants rated the program positively for its design (90%), content, materials, facilitator performance (71%), and duration (67%). This study contributes to the understanding of community environmental leadership in Latin America highlighting the value of local knowledge as a tool for environmental governance and sustainable social change. Our findings suggest that strengthening community leadership with participatory methodologies can improve environmental awareness, community resilience, and long-term ecological conservation. The program can be replicated in vulnerable communities in other contexts and positively impact local governance.

1. Introduction

Environmental leadership has become increasingly relevant as a tool for advocacy, mobilization, and the promotion of social and environmentally just realities. Also referred to as sustainability leadership, it addresses complex challenges by integrating political, economic, social, and environmental dimensions [1,2,3]. In this context, the construction of knowledge from the local level emerges as a key process to promote conservation strategies that respond to the specific socio-environmental realities of each territory.

One pressing issue is the degradation of natural ecosystems, particularly wetlands, which face biodiversity loss and environmental deterioration [4,5,6,7,8,9]. These challenges require not only the implementation of public policies, but also the strengthening of local capacities through participatory processes that value traditional knowledge and community experience. Rural communities, as the main guardians of their territories, possess empirical knowledge that, when combined with academic approaches, enhances sustainable environmental management.

The area that includes Chautengo Lagoon and Pico del Monte community in southern Mexico exemplifies these challenges, suffering from deforestation, overfishing, pollution, and unsustainable agricultural and tourism activities. Despite existing activism, weak environmental awareness among local communities has limited conservation efforts. This study explores the role of community environmental leadership as a strategy to enhance local environmental governance through collaboration among activists, rural communities, local authorities, and academia.

1.1. Leadership and Sustainability

Environmental leadership is a key component for the effective management of natural resources and the promotion of sustainable practices. It can be defined as a set of qualities, behaviors, skills or processes through which individuals influence groups to achieve common goals [10,11]. Leadership styles of relevance to environmental initiatives are transactional leadership, which focuses on power and goal-setting, and transformational leadership, which fosters commitment and long-term collaboration between different social actors [12,13], key aspects for environmental sustainability.

Liefferink and Wurzel [14] categorize environmental leaders into four types: structural, entrepreneurial, cognitive, and exemplary. Additionally, Liao [15] highlights ecological transformational leadership, as well as sustainable and moral leadership that promote sustainability values, all of which are essential for fostering environmental actions.

Four key factors influence environmental leadership: culture, governance, empowerment, and motivation. Culture shapes social consciousness and can either drive or limit environmental change [2]. Governance models that blend various styles can enhance sustainability and facilitate policy implementation [16,17]. Empowerment arises from participation and local knowledge, fostering autonomy in decision-making [18], while motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, plays a crucial role in achieving sustainability goals [19]. It has been suggested that the combination of these factors can strengthen transformational leadership, which is a key component in the implementation of local environmental initiatives.

1.2. Sustainable Development and Community Leadership

The concept of sustainable development, introduced in the Brundtland Report, emphasizes meeting present needs without compromising future generations [20]. Sustainability is defined as the harmonization of economic, social, and environmental dimensions, requiring value-based management that respects ecological limits [21]. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscores the need for local action and multi-stakeholder collaboration to achieve sustainable development [22]. Community leadership plays an essential role in the implementation of sustainable models at the local level. Leaders with a transformational vision can inspire their communities to adopt sustainable practices and collaborate with different actors, such as local, state, and national authorities, and academics to manage natural resources. This study is particularly aligned with SDG 15 (Life on Land), which promotes the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems [22]. It promotes a shift in environmental cultural values and fosters governance by engaging multiple levels of authority.

1.3. Environmental Education and Leadership Training

Training community environmental leaders is fundamental for fostering grassroots conservation efforts. Environmental education programs aim to raise awareness, build values, and develop skills for sustainable living [23,24].

Given the importance of constructing knowledge through experience in problem-solving, this work is supported by the theoretical foundations of Tovar Galvez [25]. and the methodology for designing a training program by Nieto and Buendia [26], who propose a four-stage process for designing environmental leadership programs:

(1) Contextualization, which links training to local environmental issues. During this stage, field visits were conducted to the local community to observe environmental practices, and engaged with community members to identify key environmental challenges and cultural behaviors.

(2) Structuring, which defines content and participatory methodologies. A presentation was delivered to the community and environmental leaders, highlighting socio-environmental problems [27]. A Training Needs Diagnosis (TDN) was conducted, engaging environmental leaders capable of mobilizing the local population for activities such as clean-up campaigns. Motivation is a key factor; by incorporating meaningful topics identified in the TND, we aim to ensure commitment with environmental issues of interest. Learning theories such as Piaget’s cognitivism, Vygotsky’s socio-constructivism, and Freire’s critical pedagogy suggest that learning is most effective when participants are actively involved in their learning process, and participatory methodologies are crucial for shaping environmental leaders [28,29] which in turn fosters empowerment and shaping decision-making.

(3) Programming, which organizes logistics and resources. It involves looking for facilities, scheduling training sessions, selecting appropriate facilitators, and ensuring the necessary materials are available.

(4) Evaluation, which assesses learning outcomes. It uses adapted rubrics to measure environmental competencies. Additionally, metacognition and reflection were key components of this stage, encouraging participants to evaluate their learning and consider how they could apply their skills to drive local sustainability initiatives.

Learning theories for environmental leadership plays a crucial role in environmental preservation by guiding the development of effective conservation strategies. By integrating knowledge, values, and practical skills, these theories help leaders devise approaches for managing naturales resources [30]. Hence, it is important to strengthen its knowledge. by developing strategies for its conservation [30].

The following studies reveal significant insights into the nature of environmental leadership in different geographical and cultural contexts (

Table 1. Review of studies that describe the role and predominant styles of environmental leadership.

Title	Authors and Year	Methodology	Sample	Key Findings
Foundations for Training Environmental Leaders [31]	Tovar-Gálvez (2012)	Literature review	Theoretical framework	Framework for leader training
Environmental Leadership School of Sumaco [32]	Torres (2011)	Systematized experience	75 leaders (Ecuador)	Leaders develop socio-environmental solutions
Towards a Contextualized Citizen Environmental Education [33]	Tovar-Gálvez (2017)	Literature review	Theoretical analysis	Contextualized citizen education essential
Collaborative and Transformational Leadership [34]	Ardoin et al. (2014)	Narrative interviews	12 leaders (USA)	Collaborative and transformational leadership key
Predominant Leadership in Environmental Education [35]	Reyes and Rojas (2017)	Qualitative questionnaire	5 organizations (Mexico)	Transformational and collaborative styles dominate
Leadership Styles of Rural Leaders [16]	Springer et al. (2020)	Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire	49 community leaders (Poland)	Transactional leadership predominates
Agencies, Educators, Communities, and Wildfire [36]	Monroe et al. (2015)	In-depth interviews	7 youth programs (USA)	Community-driven projects empower youth
Youth and Environmental Action [37]	Arnold et al. (2009)	Qualitative interviews	12 young leaders (Canada)	Formative influences on youth activism
Transformational Leadership and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Performance [38]	Zhu and Huang (2023)	Survey	500 employees (China)	Transformational leadership drives ESG
Impact of Green Transformational (GTL) Leadership in Hotels [39]	Suliman et al. (2023)	Quantitative questionnaire	347 hotel employees (Egypt)	GTL enhances engagement and performance
Managers’ Green Transformational Leadership in Firms [40]	Özgül and Zehir (2023)	Survey	315 firms (Turkey)	GTL boosts financial and green innovation
Green Transformational Leadership in Small–Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) [41]	Perez et al. (2023)	Quantitative questionnaire	SMEs (Pakistan)	GTL fosters sustainability in SMEs
Transformational Leadership and Pro-Environmental Behavior [42]	Ren et al. (2024)	Repeated questionnaires	350 employees (China)	Environmental Specific Transformation Leadership (ESTL) promotes pro-environmental behavior

). All of them highlight the relevant role that leaders play in promoting social change and sustainability.

A key challenge is integrating local knowledge into leadership development [27] It is also important that the training of environmental leaders generates proposals from a local perspective integrating traditional knowledge [43,44,45,46]. This aligns with Mexico’s Environmental Education Strategy for Sustainability, which promotes the development of environmental leaders capable of addressing the country’s sustainability challenges [47].

1.4. Research Objective

This study examines the epistemological, theoretical, and methodological foundations for training community environmental leaders within the context of sustainable development, emphasizing the construction of local knowledge as a critical component of community empowerment. It documents an initiative in communities near the Chautengo Lagoon, Guerrero, Mexico, where nineteen local leaders successfully mobilized 1500 people for a cleanup campaign. The findings contribute to the understanding of contextualized environmental leadership training and its potential for replication in similar ecological and social settings.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Area and Context of Study

The study was conducted in Chautengo Lagoon, located in the state of Guerrero, Mexico (16°35′39″–16°38′36″ N; 99°08′25″–99°02′48″ W), covering 32.5 km². Along its border, there is an area of vegetation colonized by Rhizophora mangle, Avicennia nitida, Laguncularia racemosa and Conocarpus erectus (red, black, white and buttonwood mangrove respectively), in addition to Spartina alterniflora and Arecaceae (coconut palm).

The study population comprised residents from eight communities: El Medano, Pico del Monte, Los Tamarindos, Chautengo, Llano de la Barra, Estero del Marquez, Las Peñas, and La Fortuna, totaling approximately 3136 inhabitants (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) [48]. Environmental degradation, including mangrove deforestation, overfishing, and pollution, threatens local livelihoods, necessitating urgent community-led conservation initiatives. The primary economic activities in these municipalities include agriculture, livestock farming, fishing, aquaculture, commerce, and tourism. The region has a warm, sub-humid climate, characterized by summer rainfall [49,50,51].

2.2. Type of Research and Procedure

The methodological approach used was mixed, descriptive, and cross-sectional. The research was carried out in three phases, from November 2021 to September 2022 (Figure 1).

2.3. Phase 1: Identification of Potential Environmental Leaders

An exhaustive documentary review was conducted to identify existing studies on environmental leadership training [1,33,40,41,42,52]. An immersion process was also carried out, consisting of five field visits to Pico del Monte. During these visits, a comprehensive exploration of the community’s characteristics was realized, focusing on key factors such as the availability of basic public services, local infrastructure, and the overall living conditions. This included listing the essential services like water, electricity, waste management, healthcare, and how these services influenced the daily lives of the population. Additionally, it was considered the community’s lifestyle, including their cultural practices, economic activities, and social structure.

To gain a deeper understanding of the region’s relationship with its environment, several walks along the coastline were conducted. These walks allowed us to observe and document the tourism services available to the local visitors, including small businesses that offer seafood. Attention was given to how the local community utilizes and interacts with the coastal resources, assessing their dependence on these areas for sustenance.

Moreover, a boat tour was organized to navigate the area and observe the mouths of the Nexpa River, a key waterway in the region, and to assess the state of the mangroves in the vicinity. The mangrove ecosystems are vital for coastal protection, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods. By closely observing these features, we were able to gather first-hand insights into the environmental conditions, including degradation or signs of preservation, and to understand how the community engages with these natural resources.

The selection of this community was primarily based on its proximity to the Chautengo Lagoon.

During this phase, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted, using the “snowball” sampling technique to identify individuals who are recognized as leaders within the community. This approach allowed us to trace leadership networks and capture diverse perspectives on environmental leadership development. The interviews explored key aspects of leadership through questions such as: How were leaders perceived in the past, and how are they perceived now? What qualities define a leader and, more specifically, an environmental leader? At what point does an individual emerge as a leader within the community?

These questions aimed to assess the evolution of leadership roles, the core competencies required for environmental advocacy, and the conditions that foster leadership emergence in the region.

This approach initially involved speaking with key informants engaged in pro-environmental actions and who were widely acknowledged by the population as leaders. These recognized leaders referred to other leaders, as they have participated in various environmental initiatives, such as local conservation projects, clean-up campaigns, and promoting sustainable practices. Through these interviews, we gathered valuable qualitative data on their leadership qualities, styles, motivations, and influence within the community.

The interviews also explored the specific activities these leaders carried out, both within the community and in the surrounding areas. This gave us a clearer understanding of how local environmental leadership is enacted in practice and the types of initiatives that were having the most significant impact.

To analyze the data collected from these interviews, we used content analysis using the Atlas.ti 9.0.15 software program. The procedure involved: (a) Data importation; the data collected from the interviews were transcribed and imported into Atlas.ti. (b) Initial familiarization with the data; consisting of familiarization with the content, to identify key themes, ideas, and recurring patterns across the data source. (c) Code creation and assignment; a set of initial codes was created based on the research questions and theoretical framework, as well as emerging concepts during the review of the data. Codes were assigned to relevant segments of the text that represented specific ideas, behaviors, or themes. (d) Data segmentation and coding; during this phase, the textual data were segmented into smaller units, such as sentences of paragraphs, and each unit was linked to one or more codes. (e) Creating and reviewing networks; a network was constructed to visualize the relationship between different codes and categories. This software facilitated the organization, coding, and analysis of the content of the qualitative data, allowing us to identify leadership styles, patterns, their characteristics, and insights. It provided a structured approach to managing the volume of interview data, ensuring that we could rigorously interpret and extract meaningful conclusions regarding the role of the community leadership in environmental sustainability.

After identifying the twelve environmental leaders, a community meeting was organized with fishing cooperatives and residents. During the meeting, topics such as climate change, environmental challenges, mangrove deforestation over the years 1981, 2010, and 2020 and a physical–chemical analysis of the lagoon were presented. Data from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (known by its acronym in Spanish of CONABIO) [6,27,53,54,55] were used to support the discussion.

It is important to mention that many people living in the communities around the lagoon are relatives, and they share something in common: the lagoon. They live on the same territory, and the lagoon serves as a means of communication. They interact with each other constantly, and the environmental problems are shared.

It is worth mentioning that we did not recruit leaders. However, the community mentioned that various researchers have visited the lagoon but had never shared the results obtained.

At the explicit invitation of other leaders from the region, and considering the importance of this information, it was also presented to the presidents of the fishing cooperatives from the communities of Chautengo, Llano de la Barra, La Fortuna, Las Peñas, and El Medano in the Chautengo community, as well as to residents of Llano de la Barra community and the main town of the municipality of Cuautepec.

On the proposal of this initial group, leaders proposed a cleanup campaign, mobilizing municipal authorities and private-sector sponsors to remove solid waste from the lagoon. This provided an opportunity to observe leadership behaviors in action. Initially, several leaders who were capable of organize and mobilizing the population with its community were invited.

2.4. Phase 2: Diagnosis of Training Needs of Environmental Leaders

Nineteen leaders from the cleanup campaign were identified and invited to participate in an environmental training program; the selection was done based on their willingness to engage actively. First, they attended the initial meeting demonstrating interest. They continued contributing during the visits to the mayor of the municipality of Florencio Villarreal and a worldwide-known soft drink company. Individuals who showed willingness, commitment, and initiative were specifically sought. During the meetings, participants shared their motivations by saying things like, “Some of us have done clean-up in our communities before, but never for the entire lagoon. Our lagoon needs us, and we need our lagoon, remember how it used to give us a lot of fish”. Participants engaged in reflective exercises on local environmental problems and their alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), identifying the specific knowledge gaps and skill sets needed to strengthen their leadership roles.

All of them expressed their agreement with the proposal. We proceeded to the application of 19 structured surveys with a Likert scale, with five intervals ranging from “sometimes” to “always”, including questions on objectives setting, planning, organization, making-decisions, use of technology, resource management, training willingness, and training requirements, which allowed us to obtain a TND; this revealed aspects such as environmental activities they had undertaken, their level of organization, their relationship with their community, and, of course, which personal areas they believed should be developed and strengthened for better environmental performance.

The statistical analysis included the calculation of mean, median, mode, and standard deviation to provide an overall summary of the data. To assess normality, a Ryan–Joiner test (similar to Shapiro–Wilk) was conducted. The choice of this test was based on its sensitivity to small sample sizes. The results indicated that the data did not significantly deviate from a normal distribution (p > 0.100 in most cases), except for variable O1 (general organization of activities), which obtained a p-value of 0.079. This suggests that O1 does not follow a normal distribution and may require a different statistical approach.

Since the assumption of normality was met for most samples, one sample t-test was applied to determine whether the sample mean significantly differed from the reference value of 5 (considering the rating scale range from 1 to 6), and Wilcoxon rank-sum test for O1 that does not follow a normal distribution.

Additionally, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed to estimate the range within which true population mean is likely to fall, using the formula:

Equation (1):

$$\mathrm{CI}=\underset{\_}{\underset{\_}{X}\pm t\alpha /2,n-1\times {\displaystyle \frac{\delta }{\sqrt{n}}}}$$

where

$\underset{\_}{X}$ = sample mean

$ta/2,n-1$ = critical value from the t-distribution, which depends on the confidence level (α) and the degrees of freedom (n − 1). For confidence interval of 95%, (α) is 0.05 and α/2 is 0.025

δ = standard error of the mean

n = sample size

The data were processed using Minitab Statistical Software, online version (https://www.minitab.com/es-mx/products/minitab/?msclkid=342b9f94a2a218e69d8ff86b593303c8, accessed on 14 April 2025).

2.5. Phase 3: Development of the Program to Strengthen Capacities

The training program was supported by the theoretical foundations of Tovar Galvez [31]. These include socio-environmental, deontological, epistemological, pedagogical, and didactic aspects, described as follows:

Socio-environmental: Findings from the immersion process were incorporated and complemented with historical, economic and environmental issues [27].

• Deontological: The profile of the environmental leader was defined on the predominant leadership characteristics and its evolution, as outlined in Phase 1.
• Epistemological: The knowledge that enabled the identified leaders was built upon the findings of the TDN.
• Pedagogical: A training model based on cognitivism, socio-constructivism, critical pedagogy and a competency-based approach was adopted, ensuring that leaders actively participate in constructing their own knowledge.
• Didactic: The approach is grounded in problem solving and participatory methodologies, adapting the model proposed by Perez Serrano and Nieto Martin [56], and Suarez Pozos [57], which consists of four development phases: planning, implementation, observation, and reflection.

It was structured based on Nieto and Buendía’s framework [26] and tailored to the socio-cultural context of the region, fostering the co-construction of knowledge between facilitators and community leaders.

• Contextualization: Findings from Phase 1 guided the curriculum design, ensuring relevance to local leadership styles and environmental issues.
• Structuring: Content was aligned with training needs, incorporating the historical, economic, and ecological context [27].
• Programming: Four four-hour training sessions were scheduled at a local public educational facility. Sessions integrated prior knowledge exploration and interactive strategies to address the climate crisis.
• Evaluation: After program completion, 12 surveys (adapted from Stocking et al. [58] were conducted to assess: relevance of content, facilitator expertise, session duration, material effectiveness, and perceived impact on leadership skills. As mentioned in previous statistical analysis, since the assumption of normality was met for all the samples, a one-sample t-test was conducted to determine whether the sample mean significantly differed from the reference value of 5. Additionally, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the range within the true population mean is likely to fall, using the formula presented in Equation 1. The data were processed using Minitab statistical software.

3. Results

In this section, we present the results to be considered in the training of environmental leaders.

During the immersion, it was observed that while the community has valuable resources, it faces significant challenges in basic services and infrastructure. Currently, the community has a medical dispensary, a Catholic church, and a multi-purpose court. However, the community lacks potable water and drainage systems, relying on artisanal wells and latrines, which pose health risks. Difficult access due to unpaved roads limits mobility and the availability of external services. On the positive side, the community has access to the internet and electricity, which provides opportunities for education and environmental leadership training. Additionally, its proximity to other communities through the lagoon enables potential collaboration in conservation and resource management projects.

3.1. Identification of the Environmental Leaders

The results of the interviews conducted in Pico del Monte allowed us to identify leaders within this community in three different occupations: fisherman (3), service provider (5), and public servant (4), who showed concern for and took action to care for the environment.

Interviewers observed that leaders have changed over the time. In the past, leaders were dedicated individuals who championed meaningful causes and initiated community projects for the collective good. Today, many leaders seem more motivated by political ambitions and personal gain rather than shared vision. While modern leaders may have greater influence and status, they often lack a genuine commitment to serving their communities, focusing instead on securing votes rather than working towards a common goal; this description aligns with transactional leadership.

Leadership emerges in the Pico del Monte community when an individual integrates into the community, steps up in times of need, and earns the respect and trust of those around them. A leader is recognized when people acknowledge their abilities, dedication, and commitment to the well-being of others. True leadership is not self-appointed; it is a role granted by the community to those who demonstrate genuine passion and responsibility. This description best exemplifies situational leadership.

The key qualities perceived in leaders are those who work tirelessly for their community, earning respect through their integrity, kindness, and responsibility. They should be patient, articulate, and able to inspire and motivate others. A great leader is persistent, committed, charismatic, honest, creative, adaptable, and visionary. They take initiative, embrace challenges, and work with dedication toward meaningful progress.

On the other hand, interviewees mentioned that an environmental leader must have a deep understanding of local ecological challenges and a strong commitment to sustainability. They actively promote environmental conservation, encourage community involvement, and foster a sense of responsibility toward natural resources. This commitment is reflected in the actions that these leaders took to protect the environment.

For instance, a fisherman described how collective action plays a crucial role in the environmental efforts: “We clean the entire town to encourage everyone to take part. Some people work in one area, others in another, that’s how we organize ourselves. Many people join in”. This sense of shared responsibility is echoed by a food service provider who emphasized the importance of preserving natural resources: “When you really think about it, you realize the extent of the damage being done. The most important thing we did was to prevent the destruction of the trees and mangrove, keeping waste under control and recognizing that these natural resources must be preserved for our children and grandchildren, not to inherit a ruined paradise”.

Beyond cleaning efforts, recycling also is a key component of local sustainability initiatives. A public servant shared their personal contribution: “We also focus on recycling, and from time to time, I recycle materials. I dedicate myself to creative projects”. Another public servant recalled a significant initiative from 2010: “We also manage a nursery program, we even started advising each other: Don’t cut trees, don’t build structures with mangrove wood”.

Education and awareness are also vital in fostering environmental leadership. A teacher reflected on his experience: “When I first got involved, some colleagues and I launched a project to raise awareness among parents about protecting the lagoon”.

3.2. Presentation of Environmental Problems in the Communities

The presentation of environmental issues in the communities helped raise awareness not only among the leaders and presidents of fishing cooperatives but also among the rest of the attending population. This resulted in the addition of leaders from the communities of Chautengo (four), Llano de la Barra (three), Los Tamarindos (two), El Médano (one) from the municipality of Florencio Villarreal; La Fortuna (one) and Las Peñas (two) from the municipality of Copala; and Estero del Marquéz (one), which belongs to the municipality of Cuautepec, which added to the five from the community of Pico del Monte, gave us a total of nineteen people interested in strengthening themselves as community environmental leaders.

3.3. Cleanup Campaign

Although the cleanup campaign was not the main purpose (it will be reported in another document) of this environmental education process, it did allow us to observe how the 19 people identified as leaders organized and mobilized around 1500 people from eight communities adjacent to the Chautengo Lagoon, as well as various educational institutions in the region. This campaign lasted one week. The leaders were responsible for gathering the population in public spaces (sports fields) in their respective localities; subsequently, they divided the population by gender and occupation and assigned the areas based on their complexity and accessibility (see Figure 2).

3.4. Training Needs of Environmental Leaders

The results of the needs assessment provided insights into key areas of environmental leadership, including goal setting, planning, organization, leadership, decision-making, technology uses, resource management, and training.

The data reflect a positive perception of the need for environmental training, with (4.89 ± 0.32, CI: 4.74–5.05) and (4.94 ± 0.23.CI: 4.84–5.06) receiving the higher ratings, indicating that participants recognize the importance of strengthening their environmental knowledge and their teams.

Regarding planning, scores ranged from 2.84 (±1.74, CI: 2.00–3.68) to 4.42 (±0.84, CI: 4.02–4.83), showing variability in skills for structuring and coordinating activities. Organization had scores between 3.94 (±1.13, CI: 3.40–4.49) and 4.42 (±1.12, CI: 3.88–4.96), suggesting that participants perceive a foundational level of organization but requiring a degree of improvement.

In leadership, scores were moderately high, ranging from 3.68 (±1.11, CI: 3.15–4.21) to 4.15 (±1.38, CI: 3.49–4.83). However, solving differences with the team had the lowest score (3.68), which may indicate challenges in internal communication. Decision-making showed consistent values (4.05–4.26, CI: 3.51–4.68), reflecting confidence in this area.

In contacts, technology use and resource management had the lowest ratings (between 2.47 and 3.47, CI: 1.71–4.27), indicating limitations in these aspects and potential areas for improvement. Specifically, knowledge about institutional leaders and administrative procedure had the lowest scores (2.47 ± 1.58, CI: 1.71–3.27), highlighting a challenge in coordination with external institutions.

For the variable O1 (Do you generally organize the activities to be carried out?) that does not meet a normal distribution, the median and its associated confidence interval provide a more robust estimate of central tendency. The results indicate that, with 94.90% confidence, the true mean of O1 liest between 4 and 5, suggesting that most participants perceive the general organization of activities as satisfactory.

The results suggest that while participants are eager to improve their leadership capabilities, addressing the lower-rated areas such as technology integration and resource management could significantly enhance their environmental leadership.

Despite demonstrating strong organizational skills, there are still areas for improvement. Notably, 95% of the leaders expressed the need for further training in the following environmental topics: urban solid waste management (18%), ecological conservation (10%), communication (10%), recycling (8%), organic composting (7%), and drafting official documents (5%).

These topics were grouped into three guiding themes, which enabled the establishment of the content of the capacity-building program: environmental issues, management for sustainable development, and environmental education for sustainability.

3.5. Training Program for the Development of Environmental Competencies

With the formal detection of the training needs of individuals selected as environmental leaders, a training program was developed and divided into four sessions.

3.5.1. First Session, 27 August 2022

Description: Participants collectively reflected on global environmental issues and their local impacts. Concepts such as planetary crisis, climate change, and global warming were discussed. It was shown how to calculate the ecological and carbon footprint, along with recognizing the renewable resources available in each participating locality. Success stories from other places in Mexico and other countries were shared.

Findings: Attendees reflected their direct and indirect roles in modifying their natural environment by overexploiting fishing resources, deforesting mangroves, or undertaking actions contributing to the silting of the lagoon, resulting in fish mortality, among other problems. They also acknowledged that the population is always seeking economic support and that raising awareness will be a complex but not impossible task.

3.5.2. Second Session, 3 September 2022

Description: The session focused on urban solid waste (garbage), including the description, origin, and classification of plastics and microplastics. Emphasis was placed on the reuse of materials, especially cases involving polystyrene foam and plastic that release contaminating particles when exposed to different temperatures. Additionally, the session highlighted the risks posed to animals that mistake these materials for food. Another significant issue of concern was the socio-environmental problems associated with open-air garbage dumps and their implications for communities.

Findings: The leaders discussed actions that communities can undertake to address or mitigate these negative impacts. They proposed organizing workshops to promote waste collection and contribute to environmental change, emphasizing the slogan “It’s not my trash, but it’s my planet”.

Finally, they expressed their interest in forming a non-profit organization aimed at fostering social and environmental change in the communities.

3.5.3. Third Session, 10 September 2022

Description: The session focused on the ecological importance of mangroves. It included discussions on the differences between reforestation and rehabilitation processes, as well as the necessary steps to carry out a safe restoration. Participants were educated about the significance of sanitation efforts and proposed assisted reforestation guided by professionals. An on-site practical demonstration was conducted with Californian red worms under the guidance of a professional composter.

Findings: The session concluded with plans to launch a mangrove reforestation campaign. Cattle manure from the region was suggested as an organic fertilizer. Additionally, participants agreed to visit Ventanilla, a town in the neighboring state of Oaxaca, to gather information and seek advice on a mangrove reforestation project recognized as a “successful” case.

3.5.4. Fourth Session, 24 September 2022

Description: The session focused on developing critical thinking and assertive communication skills, emphasizing the importance for leaders to reflect on the environmental problems affecting their communities and engaging actively with all levels of government and administrative agencies. Participants were guided on drafting various types of documents to formally request attention to their petitions, including official letters, letters, memorandums, posters, and assembly minutes. The session concluded with a reflection on the practical usefulness of the information covered during the four training sessions, as well as the perspectives on what would follow in their communities with their respective projects.

Findings: To continue with their planned actions, the leaders decided to form a committee consisting of a president, secretary, treasurer, and two members. They aim to formalize this committee as a civil association named “Environmental Leaders for Sustainability in the Costa Chica region”. As their first step, they will seek legal assistance from a lawyer and guidance from a civil association called Tlali for advice on the formation and official registration process.

Another action agreed upon was to invite their commissioners to undertake cleanup campaigns, conduct awareness talks, and invite stakeholders engaged in environmental initiatives. To facilitate open and fluid communication, they decided to create a WhatsApp group and add all individuals interested in participating and promoting actions among all the communities involved.

In the following months, community environmental leaders carried out several activities that reflected their empowerment and governance.

Active participation in decision making: In 2023, leaders from Llano de la Barra and Chautengo communities, were involved in planning clean-up campaigns, deciding on priority areas for intervention.

Capacity building and knowledge sharing: The environmental leader from La Fortuna, held meetings to educate residents about the impact of pollution on the lagoon. As a result of this activity, a group of residents emerged who are now responsible for maintaining the dock and keeping it clean. Some improvements have also been made, such as fostering the natural setting.

Leadership development: Several participants took initiative by organizing meetings, coordinating with authorities and mobilizing fishermen in particular, demonstrating emerging leadership skills.

Collaboration with external stakeholders: Environmental leaders from Llano de la Barra, Pico del Monte, Las Peñas, Chautengo, and La Fortuna engaged with municipal, state and national authorities, including the National Water Commission, the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission, and the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources of the State of Guerrero (known by their acronyms in Spanish of CONAGUA, CONAPESCA, and SEMAREN). They advocate for resources to desilt the lagoon as well as for mangrove reforestation.

It is important to mention that the clean-up campaign captured the attention of authorities due to the large number of people mobilized.

3.6. Evaluation of the Environmental Leaders Training Program in the Context of Sustainable Development

The training program generated high satisfaction among the participants. The results of the one-sample t-test indicated that participants ratings were significantly higher than the reference value in most categories.

Course design, course elements, materials and information received a score of 5.92 (±0.29), with confidence intervals of (5.73, 6.10) confirming strong participant approval. The indicators related to the instructor’s performance scored between 5.75 (±0.45) and 5.83 (±0.39) with confidence intervals between (5.46, 6.04) and (5.59, 6.08), reflecting high confidence in their performance. Time allocation scored 5.67 (±0.49), and a confidence interval of (5.35, 5.98), suggesting effective time distribution. Course content received an average score of 5.58 (±0.52), with confidence intervals of (5.26, 5.91), indicating positive reception. Regarding guidance, there was slightly higher variability, with a score of 5.58 (±0.67), and a confidence interval of (5.16, 6.01), suggesting a need for improvement in this area.

The training program was evaluated by the environmental leaders who attended all four sessions (63%). They strongly agreed with the course design (90%), the information provided during the sessions (92%), and the materials used in each activity (92%). Likewise, they expressed high satisfaction with the content of the topics covered, with (42%) indicating they agree and (58%) indicating they strongly agree. Regarding the facilitator’s knowledge demonstrated during the course, they agree (23%) and strongly agree (71%). They also were satisfied with the amount of time dedicated to the course for the target population, with 33% agreeing and 67% strongly agreeing (Figure 3).

The study emphasizes the significance of environmental leadership and allows us to witness the transition from an initial transactional leadership to a situational transformational style. This evolution was grounded in the co-construction of knowledge between community members and facilitators, where local experiences and traditional practices were integrated with sustainable development principles. Unlike previous studies in Europe and Asia, such as Springer, Walkowiak, and Bernaciak [16] in Poland and Xuejiao Niu et al. [19] in Taiwan, it identifies both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations driving environmental leaders in a Latin American context. Intrinsic motivations emerged from the activities that leaders conducted after the training process, as well as the ongoing meetings they held even outside of the region with state institutions. Extrinsic motivation is observed in their pursuit of government support or grants.

Moreover, our findings align with Zhu and Huang [38] and Li et al. [59], who demonstrated that transformational leadership in environmental settings fosters community-wide behavioral change, enhances environmental social governance, and strengthens social responsibility [38]. Additionally, transformational leadership along with GTL and ESTL have been shown to improve pro-environmental behaviors [39,40,41,42].

4. Discussion

The following is a description of the general findings identified during the environmental leadership training process:

Initially, three types of environmental actors were identified based on their occupations: fishermen, service providers, and public servants. Each of them has developed their leadership by addressing different environmental issues and positioning themselves within situational leadership. The figure of the local fishermen, in particular, stands out for their deep concern for “their lagoon”, which is the main source of livelihood for the communities. This deep-rooted connection to the land and water embodies local ecological knowledge and inspires the adoption of sustainable practices within these communities.

The public servants, through their roles, promote compliance with environmental policies, aiming to improve ecosystem health and sustainability. For their part, the participating public service providers have witnessed firsthand the negative effects of unsustainable tourism, especially concerning improper waste management, highlighting the importance of community-led conservation initiatives.

This was particularly evident during the cleanup campaign, where collective action was catalyzed by the leaders’ passion and commitment, reinforcing the connection between leadership charisma and environmental motivation. This outcome also parallels the results of Hu et al. [60], who found that sustainable leadership in Taiwanese manufacturing companies enhanced employees’ environmental commitment.

This study confirms the effectiveness of contextualized pedagogical interventions in fostering local environmental awareness and community engagement, as highlighted by Barreto et al. [61] in Bogotá and Selby et al. [62] in Costa Rica. By embracing participatory learning and respecting community knowledge, the training program created a collaborative space where local leaders became co-creators of environmental solutions rather than recipients of external knowledge. Similarly, the findings align with Jones et al. [63], who documented how environmental leadership programs in the UK’s Our Bright Future initiative empowered participants to drive meaningful ecological change.

Additionally, this study supports research by Monroe et al. [36], which emphasizes school–community collaboration in promoting environmental action. The integration of TND in this study aligns with Tovar-Gálvez [25] and Hintz and Lackey [52], demonstrating its value in enhancing community participation and addressing local environmental challenges.

One key goal of this training process was to ensure that participants acquired a solid profile that would guarantee the continuity of their role as environmental leaders, as proposed by Torres [32]; he also suggests that, with the acquired knowledge, participants can identify socio-environmental issues, beginning with a broad approach and subsequently prioritizing specific problems within each community.

The novelty of this study lies in its integrative approach to environmental leadership training. Key findings highlight the importance of context-based leadership development, emphasizing participatory methodologies tailored to the community’s specific needs.

Contextualized leadership formation: Unlike traditional leadership programs, this research incorporates insights from an immersion process, ensuring that training aligns with socio-cultural, historical, economic, and environmental realities of the community.

Ethical and epistemological foundations: This study redefines environmental leadership by integrating deontological perspectives, emphasizing ethical responsibility, and grounding knowledge exchange in a TND. This ensures that the identified leaders receive training tailored to their prior knowledge, community challenges, and extrinsic motivation.

Pedagogical and didactic strategies: The program adopts a hybrid approach, blending cognitivism, socio-constructivism, critical pedagogy, and competency-based learning. It also applies participatory action research methodologies to enhance engagement and real-world problem solving, which in turn leads to empowerment.

Practical application and community impact: The findings indicate that an interactive, hands-on approach to leadership training—through participatory methods—enhances the ability of leaders to address environmental challenges, fostering sustainability within their communities.

It contributes to the theory of environmental leadership by integrating situational, transformational, and community-based leadership approaches within a Latin American environmental context. While the activities and initiatives undertaken by the community reflect changes in their cultural environmental awareness as well as significant advancement in empowerment, governance, and motivation, future research should explore the long-term impact of environmental leadership training on both policy implementation and behavioral change. It would be important to understand how the leadership skills developed within these communities translate into sustained changes in environmental policies and practices. Additionally, the role of gender and generational differences in shaping leadership styles could further deepen our understanding of how leadership in environmental stewardship evolves. Future studies could examine how different groups within the community based on gender, age, or experience improve training programs and strategies for greater inclusion and effectiveness.

5. Conclusions

This community-centered environmental leadership training initiative, framed within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, began with an immersion process that allowed for direct engagement with local communities and the observation of their environmental challenges and initiatives. As a result, a working group was established to enhance knowledge and skills related to sustainable practices. This initiative fostered intersectoral collaboration between local governments, civil society, and the private sector, leading to tangible actions, such as a cleanup campaign that removed one ton of plastic waste, generating economic benefits for community development, and, most importantly, the preservation of the ecosystem to contribute to the SDGs by safeguarding natural resources.

The subsequent phase focused on the design and implementation of a community environmental leadership training program, tailored to the socio-cultural and ecological characteristics of the region. This program promoted community empowerment, not only among direct participants but also within the broader population. Its implementation successfully engaged municipal governments, civil society organizations, and private sector actors, reinforcing the importance of multi-stakeholder initiatives in environmental governance. The interinstitutional commitment materialized through a cleanup campaign, where the recovered plastic waste was commercialized, generating revenue for community improvements.

A key contribution of this research is the development of a conceptual framework for community environmental leadership, which integrates training methodologies in environmental sciences and sustainability. This framework fosters action-oriented competencies and community empowerment, equipping local actors to become agents of environmental change. The establishment of a civil committee, Environmental Leaders for Sustainability in the Costa Chica Region, marks a critical step toward long-term environmental governance and legal representation to advocate for the region’s ecological stability. By promoting a community-led model, this training initiative highlights the potential of local leadership to drive sustainability.

The evaluation process demonstrated that the course was well received, with a high satisfaction level across all evaluated aspects. The mean was close to the maximum value (6), and the narrow confidence intervals reinforced the consistency of the results.

Additionally, a significant increase in awareness, leadership capacity, and mobilization among participants was noted, highlighting the effectiveness of environmental education in fostering sustainable practices. These findings underscore the need for contextualized environmental education that integrates traditional knowledge, critical thinking, and a sense of ownership, supported by academically grounded methodologies.

We consider that a contribution was made to the literature; unlike previous research that focuses on environmental leadership in business sectors, this study focuses on community environmental leadership in a Latin American context, where factors such as local participation, traditional knowledge, and sociocultural resilience play a crucial role. Likewise, the effectiveness of participatory methodologies is demonstrated, in line with proposals for contextualized environmental education. The impact of training on community mobilization is also evident; 19 trained leaders mobilized 1500 people for tangible environmental actions (clean-up campaign and reforestation planning).

However, for future studies it will be necessary to seek greater representation of population groups. The duration of the research should also be taken with due caution; we are documenting the design and implementation of the program, but longitudinal monitoring is required in the medium and long term.

This study lays the groundwork for future research on scalable leadership training models that can be applied to other environmentally vulnerable communities. Future studies should explore the long-term impact of community-based environmental leadership programs on local governance and conservation efforts, and the integration of digital tools and technology to enhance environmental education and activism.

This study demonstrates that community-driven environmental leadership can catalyze sustainable environmental management. The model presented here serves as a replicable framework for other regions facing similar socio-environmental challenges, emphasizing the importance of local knowledge as a driver of sustainability.