Mexico

Nahua mushroom gatherers use area-restricted search strategies that conform to marginal value theorem predictions
By: Luis Pacheco-Cobos, Bruce Winterhalder, Cecilia Cuatianquiz-Lima, Marcos F. Rosetti, Robyn Hudson, and Cody T. Ross
PNAS, 116:21
May 21, 2019
Key words: Nahua, foraging strategies, mushrooms
https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/116/21/10339.full.pdf
This study followed Nahua mushroom gatherers to understand their strategies when collecting mushrooms. Through this study it was observed how gathering parties will use whistles and calls to avoid going into another's area, limiting the effects of over hunting. Through this study the authors were able to collect more information as to better ways to collect and maintain wild mushroom populations.

House of the Royal Lady Bee: Maya Revive Native Bees and Ancient Beekeeping
By: Jennifer Kennedy and Richard Arghiris
Jan. 31, 2019
Mongabay
Keywords: Agriculture, Animals, Bees, Biodiversity, Conservation, Conservation Solutions, Development, Ecology, Environment, Food, Food Industry, Forests, Happy-upbeat Environmental, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Groups, Indigenous Peoples, Maya, Insects, Pollinators, Rainforest Agriculture, Rainforest Biodiversity, Rainforest Conservation, Rainforest Deforestation, Rainforest Destruction, Rainforests, Saving Rainforests, Tropical Forests, Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/01/house-of-the-royal-lady-bee-maya-revive-native-bees-and-ancient-beekeeping/
A 3,000 year old Mayan beekeeping tradition is being revived. Unlike invasive species, native stingless bees pollinate the tree canopy as well as understory plants. These bees help agriculture as well as the rainforest.

Traditional Climate Knowledge: A Case Study in a Peasant Community of Tlaxcala, Mexico
By: Alexis D. Rivero-Romero, Ana I. Moreno-Calles, Alejandro Casas, Alicia Castillo, & Andrés Camou-Guerrero
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12:33
2016
Key words: weather, Tlaxcala, Mexico, climate, agriculture
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4990871/
In this study in a rural village in the state of Tlaxcala, Mexico, researchers sought to analyze community members’ traditional knowledge about local weather and climate, and its importance in decision-making in agriculture.

Lacandon Maya Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Rainforest Restoration: Soil Fertility Beneath Six Agroforestry System Trees
By: Tomasz B. Falkowski, Stewart A.W. Diemont, Adolfo Chankin, & David Douterlungne
Ecological Engineering, 92:210-217
2016
Key words: Biogeochemistry, Ecosystem Management, Nutrient Cycling, Soil Properties, Succession, trees, Maya, Mexico, rainforest restoration
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.03.002
The swidden agroforestry system of the Lacandon Maya has allowed them to sustainably manage their land for hundreds of years without observed soil degradation. Lacandon land managers plant and care for many particular tree species during the fallow period of their multi-successional swidden system to facilitate the restoration of soil fertility. Soil samples were taken around six of tree species in different-aged sites to evaluate their effect on soil fertility.

Singing the Turtles to Sea. The Comcáac (Seri) Art and Science of Reptiles
By: Gary Paul Nabhan
University of California Press
2003
Key words: Sense of place, local ecological interactions, unexpected relationships, language preservation, species monitoring, ethnoherpetology, sea turtles, Mexico, Seri
The Seri language is an example of how a lexicon can reflect cultural values and a deep understanding of ecological relationships. Ethnographic research done with the Seri shows how a language, within the context of that culture, lead to filling in knowledge gaps in regional conservation efforts.

Toward Adaptive Community Forest Management: Integrating Local Forest Knowledge with Scientific Forestry
By: Daniel James Klooster
Economic Geography
2002
Key words: political ecology, adaptive management, Mexico, forest management
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4140823.pdf
This study compares the benefits and limits of traditional knowledge and Western science in the context of a forest management plan of highland Michoacán, Mexico, and makes recommendations for an adaptive management plan based on the combination of the two.

Last updated: June 30, 2023