Co-creating conservation: Participatory cartography and land suitability analysis for community-based land-use governance in Mexico’s high-mountain forests

High mountain forests are vital socioecological systems that support biodiversity, cultural identity, and local livelihoods; however, these ecosystems face increasing pressures from land-use change, climate variability, and unregulated tourism. This study examines the role of local communities in forest governance through a participatory case study in Nanacamilpa, Mexico, home to a threatened firefly sanctuary. We integrated participatory workshops with spatial analysis, including multi-criteria land-suitability and land-use change assessments (2012–2021), to co-develop sustainable management strategies with local stakeholders. The primary challenge lay in reconciling the preservation of the forest, vital for firefly habitat, with the economic well-being of local households, achieved through the sustainable development of the municipality's key economic activities. Results identified distinct land-suitability patterns: conservation showed the broadest potential (30.5 % very-high suitability), while climate conditions constrained agriculture, and sustainable tourism was the most restricted (<10 % very-high suitability). A second suitability scenario incorporating socioeconomic variables re-ranked spatial priorities, reducing conservation feasibility near settlements while increasing agricultural suitability in accessible areas, highlighting the importance of integrating ecological potential with socio-institutional conditions. The overlap analysis of high-suitability areas revealed significant potential for interaction between conservation and timber extraction (31 % overlap), underscoring the need for integrated management. Land use/cover change analysis and modeling indicated high landscape stability (>99 %) between 2012 and 2021, with gradual forest loss and projected continued urban expansion toward 2032, reinforcing concerns about incremental degradation rather than abrupt deforestation. Community-generated proposals emphasized adaptive strategies: regulating tourism carrying capacity, promoting agroforestry, enforcing selective logging, and strengthening local conservation associations. Despite a net forest loss of 15 hectares, community insights highlighted that hidden degradation poses a greater threat than outright deforestation. The findings demonstrate that participatory, spatially explicit planning empowers communities to balance ecological integrity with livelihood needs. This bottom-up approach is essential for building resilient governance, positioning local communities not as beneficiaries but as critical co-managers of high-mountain forests.