Las selvas del noreste de la Península de Yucatán albergan poblaciones de ungulados silvestres como el venado cola blanca (Odocoileus virginianus Hays 1874), temazates (Mazama americana Erxleben 1777 y M. pandora Merriam 1901) y pecarí de collar (Pecari tajacu Merriam 1901) por lo que para su conservación y posible aprovechamiento es necesario evaluar el estado de las mismas. En el presente estudio se evaluaron aspectos ecológicos como la densidad y distribución en distintos tipos de vegetación de las poblaciones de estos ungulados silvestres en la Reserva Ecológica El Edén (REE), al norte de Quintana Roo. Se aplicó el método de conteo directo de animales en transectos de franja en senderos existentes. Mediante Sistemas de Información Geográfica se clasificó el hábitat en cinco tipos de vegetación: acahual, selva, tintales, sabana de palmas y vegetación acuática. Se obtuvieron 38 observaciones de venado cola blanca, 14 de temazates y 6 grupos de pecaríes en 293.4 km de recorridos repartidos en 6 meses de muestreos diurnos entre septiembre de 2004 y abril de 2005. La densidad absoluta del venado cola blanca fue de 5.5 ± 4.1 ind/km2, para el pecarí de collar fue 1.9 ± 0.8 ind/km2 o 0.2 ± 0.1 manadas/km2 y para los temazates fue de 1.7 ± 1.8 ind/km2. El acahual fue el tipo de vegetación donde se distribuyen más frecuentemente el venado cola blanca y el pecarí de collar. Este trabajo registró por primera vez a Mazama americana para esta región de Quintana Roo. Los resultados sugieren que la REE tiene un papel importante en la conservación de los ungulados, ya que a pesar de la perturbación continua por incendios y huracanes, en la REE se tiene una densidad relativamente alta, principalmente del venado cola blanca en comparación con otros sitios tropicales.

Wetlands play important roles that benefit social-ecological systems. They are threatened by climate change and human activities, i.e., raising livestock and wildlife hunting. The latter is essential for subsistence and for the food security of rural communities. To understand the traditional uses of wildlife, we examined the use of wildlife among people living within and outside of, but close to wetlands, in the communities located in four municipalities of Veracruz, Mexico, using open-ended interviews. We also analyzed the socioeconomic factors and environmental problems associated with the use of wildlife, and how these affect food security. People, especially those living within the wetlands, use wildlife mainly for food and trade. Wildlife is mainly used as food but also as pets, ornaments and medicine. The most useful species were black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) and Meso-American slider (Trachemys venusta). People living within the wetland make more intensive use of wildlife. The main problems causing decreasing wildlife populations were water pollution, hunting practices and deforestation. Local communities were aware of the importance of wetlands, their degradation and the need to preserve them. More research focused on socioecological systems is required to address both the need for biodiversity conservation and food security. Also, good local management plans that incorporate current knowledge about key species have to be drawn up with the participation of government and scientific institutions, citizens and local stakeholders.

Palms are a resource of great importance in the tropics and are found in a variety of ecosystems, including the wetlands of the tropical coastal plains. In order to recover wetland ecosystems, we studied the traditional uses of wetland palms, by conducting interviews in the communities of four municipalities on the Gulf of Mexico coast. We found that people use five species of palm: Cocos nucifera, Sabal mexicana, Attalea liebmannii, Roystonea dunlapiana and Acrocomia aculeata. Main uses for the five species were for food and construction materials. Although palms are still used, traditional knowledge is declining in the younger generations, likely as a result of various social, cultural and economic factors. It is important to recover and promote the traditional use and value of palm trees, especially for the native species, because of both the economic benefits and the environmental services they provide. More participatory work with the inhabitants is needed to initiate palm breeding programs to assist in the recovery of wetland ecosystems.