Question

A restoration ecologist delivers the following remarks during an academic symposium on sustainable peri-urban agriculture:

"Distinguished colleagues, conventional urban planning has long treated peri-urban wetlands merely as vacant land reserves awaiting drainage and concrete paving. However, the pre-Columbian *chinampa* agricultural system in the Valley of Mexico offers a vital counter-paradigm. These raised plots, built from alternating strata of lacustrine sediment and decomposing aquatic vegetation, establish a self-irrigating, microclimatically buffered agroecosystem capable of yielding up to seven crop cycles annually without chemical fertilizers. While recent municipal conservation programs have focused almost exclusively on establishing tourism sanctuaries for the endemic axolotl, such narrow interventions overlook the systemic integrity of the landscape. Empirical hydrological modeling demonstrates that the functional survival of the *chinampas* relies not on static, zoo-centric reserves, but on reviving the active, traditional farming practices that drive continuous sediment turnover, soil aeration, and canal circulation. By empowering smallholder stewardship and incorporating modern biofiltration, we can transform Xochimilco from a decaying historical relic into a functional bio-infrastructure that simultaneously safeguards regional food sovereignty and moderates metropolitan heat extremes."

Which of the following statements best synthesizes the primary thesis of the presentation?