Knowledge and use of biocultural diversity by Nahua in the Huasteca region of Hidalgo, Mexico

Abstract

In the Huasteca region, high biological diversity and diverse ethnic groups converge. The implementation of metrics for biocultural diversity was developed based on metrics used in analyzes of biological diversity. We compared the results of the diversity known and used by two communities of Nahuatl origin established in two types of vegetation (Tropical Semi Evergreen Forest [TSEF] and Mountain Cloud Forest [MCF]). The fieldwork was carried out from January 2011 to December 2012; the ethnobiological information was collected combining the methods: percentual and snowball, additional applying as an ethnographic tool: multiple free lists and semistructured interviews to 125 informants. The ethnobiological information was analyzed by adapting indexes used in the evaluation of biological diversity and multivariate methods. The informants identified 409 ethnospecies for both communities, although they only correspond to 383 biological species, the several taxonomic groups. The TSEF presents a greater richness of speciesethnospecies concerning the MCF. Eleven categories of use were identified, with the edible category being the most mentioned. In general, local people have extensive knowledge of the biological diversity present in their territory, and there are distinct differences in knowledge between communities established in different ecosystems. However, there is much similarity in knowledge and use of biodiversity, since both populations belong to the same cultural group. We believe that our results show the relevance of using the metrics used in the evaluation of biocultural diversity.

Ethnobotanical biocultural diversity by rural communities in the Cuatrocienegas Valley, Coahuila; Mexico

“…Our results a rm, that despite the peculiarities of Cuatrociénegas; native species are known and use; and in addition, there are cultural niches that are occupied by a varied introduced ora. Therefore, biocultural diversity at the local level is a deep socio-ecological relationship, determined by multiple variables [19]. Describing the way people live and interact with nature; either in indigenous areas, in traditional rural landscapes [20] and even in urban landscapes [21]; in this case, in semi-urban desert landscapes.…”

Ethnobotanical Biocultural Diversity by Rural Communities in the Cuatrocienegas Valley, Coahuila; Mexico

“…However, despite detecting that people give high importance to introduced species due to their ornamental value, the cultural importance indexes put native species and characteristics of the Chihuahuan Desert rst. The multifunctionality of ethnobotanical species in Cuatrociénegas is an example that supports that the concept of biocultural diversity not only applies in regions with high biological and cultural diversity [44]; at the local level it is a relationship between traditional knowledge and practices and the different biological groups [19] in this case with the plants. Biocultural diversity also describes the way in which people live and interact with nature, in relation to urban landscapes [21] and to traditional rural landscapes [20]; in this case, with traditional and semi-urban rural landscapes.…”

“…This ethnobotanical multifunctionality, the number of reported species (n = 158), the type of ecosystem (Chihuahuan Desert), the mestizo communities and the study area under the different protection categories all provide elements to support biocultural diversity in a broad sense, not restricted to the spatial correlation of the cultural, biological and linguistic components [44]. Rather, it is made locally by the diversity of species (in this case, ethnobotany) included in the different socio-ecological systems [19]. In addition, traditional mestizo rural landscapes house biocultural heritage and play an important role in biodiversity conservation [20].…”

“…Its actual population is completely mestizo, so it lacks indigenous population; however, in the past the Valley of Cuatrociénegas had been inhabited by nomadic Coahuiltecos and Borrados groups. In the context of biocultural diversity [19], traditional rural communities also house biocultural heritage, being important in the conservation of biological diversity and in ecosystem services [20]. Biocultural diversity helps lend an understanding of human-nature relationships, not only in cultural areas, but also in urban spaces [21], such as in landscapes or semiurban areas like Cuatrociénegas.…”

Reconocimiento y usos tradicionales de plantas en una comunidad indígena migrante de San Luis Potosí, México

“…Estudios etnobiológicos sobre otros grupos de la Huasteca como los pame y nahua han sido incipientes, enfocándose a la etnobotánica de la vivienda (Torres-Reyna et al 2015) y del matorral submontano (Castillo-Gómez et al 2008) en el caso de los primeros, así como de los huertos familiares (Rivera-Lozoya 2012), plantas medicinales (Palomo-Contreras 2010, Hernández-Martínez 2013) y el conocimiento tradicional sobre la biodiversidad en la porción Hidalguense (Gutiérrez-Santillán et al 2019) para los segundos. Gutiérrez (2011), señala que hasta un 40 % de los habitantes de la Huasteca salen de sus lugares de origen para trabajar de forma temporal o permanente, identificándose entre las principales causas del éxodo: i) la disminución de ingresos provenientes de las actividades agrícolas y ii) la dificultad de encontrar empleo en la agricultura (Lisocka-Jaegermann 2002).…”