Bootlegging on a desert mountain: The political ecology of Agave (Agave spp.) demographic change in the Sonora river valley, Sonora, Mexico

Effect of habitat and grazing on the regeneration of wild Agave cupreata in Guerrero, Mexico

“…In the state of Sonora, Burwell (1995) witnessed a ''tragedy of the commons'' situation where populations of A. angustifolia, A. palmeri, and A. shrevei were being rapidly depleted due a lack of means to restrict or regulate Agave harvest on communal lands. Burwell (1995) found that the lack of communal regulation of the resource was partially due to a strong emphasis on family autonomy, and to a belief that mescalero actions are not responsible for, and cannot control, the degradation of the Agave resource. The mescaleros interviewed claimed that it was impossible for them to follow the traditional harvest method of cutting the budding flower stalk and leaving the plant to accumulate sugars, as another mescalero would take the Agave (Burwell, 1995).…”

“…Many rural communities harvest wild Agave from tropical dry forests and other habitats (Burwell, 1995;Illsley et al, 2005;Colunga-GarcíaMarín et al, 2007). Tropical dry forests are among the most species-rich ecosystems in Mexico, yet these forests are being cleared at an alarming rate for agriculture, cattle ranching, and timber extraction (Murphy and Lugo, 1986;Ceballos and Garcia, 1995;Trejo and Dirzo, 2000).…”

“…A recent survey found that 74 species of Agave are used in Mexico for food, fermented or distilled beverages, fiber and forage; of these, 42 species are used for mescal production in 26 states in Mexico (Colunga-GarcíaMarín et al, 2007). Mescal is a traditional liquor made by distilling fermented Agave and is an essential part of religious celebrations, weddings, and other cultural events (Bahre and Bradbury, 1980;Burwell, 1995;Colunga-GarcíaMarín et al, 2007). Because there is a constant cultural demand, the production of mescal can provide a reliable source of income to local communities.…”

“…While many Agave species reproduce clonally, some do not, and mescal harvesting can drastically reduce the number of Agave seedlings recruited into the population each year (Jiménez-Valdes et al, 2010). A study of mescal production in Sonora, Mexico, for example, has documented the depletion of wild populations of Agave angustifolia, Agave palmeri, and Agave shrevei on communal land due to chronic over-harvesting (Burwell, 1995).…”

“…Because there is a constant cultural demand, the production of mescal can provide a reliable source of income to local communities. For example, in the state of Sonora, mescal making provides the third largest income from a natural resource to many rural subsistence households (Burwell, 1995).…”