One Health approach to tilapia welfare: public policies for sustainable aquaculture in Papaloapan indigenous communities, Oaxaca, Mexico

Following the construction of reservoirs in the Papaloapan region of Oaxaca, the indigenous communities living there shifted their economy from agriculture to tilapia aquaculture, thereby making better use of these previously underutilized bodies of water. Today, they face major challenges related to the emergence of diseases due to high densities and excessive antibiotic use in tilapia. Despite this, several sustainable opportunities can be exploited and implemented through animal welfare, monitoring technologies, and, above all, public policies that can promote food security, a solidarity economy, and environmental resilience in this region of the state. The objective of this work is to highlight the issue of farmed tilapia welfare in these indigenous communities and to propose sustainable management strategies that balance production intensification with animal health, the environment, and regional socioeconomic development.