Wildlife uses and hunting patterns in rural communities of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundSubsistence hunting is a traditional practice providing food and many other goods for households in the Yucatan Peninsula, southeast Mexico. Economic, demographic, and cultural change in this region drive wildlife habitat loss and local extinctions. Improving our understanding about current practices of wildlife use may support better management strategies for conserving game species and their habitat. We aimed to evaluate if wildlife use remained relevant for the subsistence of rural residents of the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as if local hunting practices were related to environmental, geographical, and cultural factors.MethodsFieldwork was done between March 2010 and March 2011. Information was obtained through conversations, interviews, and participant observation. Record forms allowed recording animals hunted, biomass extracted, distance intervals to hunting sites, habitat types and seasonality of wildlife harvests. Data were analyzed using one-way Analysis of Variance, and Generalized Linear Models.ResultsForty-six terrestrial vertebrate species were used for obtaining food, medicine, tools, adornments, pets, ritual objects, and for sale and mitigating damage. We recorded 968 animals taken in 664 successful hunting events. The Great Curassow, Ocellated Turkey, paca, white-tailed deer, and collared peccary were the top harvested species, providing 80.7% of biomass (10,190 kg). The numbers of animals hunted and biomass extracted declined as hunting distances increased from villages. Average per capita consumption was 4.65 ± 2.7 kg/person/year. Hunting frequencies were similar in forested and agricultural areas.DiscussionWildlife use, hunting patterns, and technologies observed in our study sites were similar to those recorded in previous studies for rural Mayan and mestizo communities in the Yucatan Peninsula and other Neotropical sites. The most heavily hunted species were those providing more products and by-products for residents. Large birds such as the Great Curassow and the Ocellated Turkey were extremely important for local hunters, representing around 40% of total prey taken.Final considerationsOur results suggest that hunting is frequent in our study areas. Low human densities allow low hunting pressure on most game species and favor conservation of the tropical forest. We suggest that co-management may help regulating hunting, prioritizing cultural practices of sustainable use and conservation for benefiting local users and animal populations.

Cultural keystone species of fauna as a method for assessing conservation priorities in a Protected Area of the Brazilian semiarid

“…The significant number of mentions of the common deer (M. gouazoubira) may be related to its size (amount of biomass obtained in hunting activity), to the appreciable flavor and tenderness of the meat, or to it being considered "healthy". Santos-Fita et al (2012), in a similar study with rural communities in Mexico, also found Mazama sp. among the animals with most mentions for consumption due to palatability and the nutritional value of its meat.…”

“…From a conservation point of view, the way people interact with locally important biological resources must be taken into account, since it is dynamic and susceptible to various influences (economic and socio-cultural factors, for example), a fact that is discussed in specialized literature (Alves 2009, Alves & Dias 2010, Santos-Fita et al 2012, Hunt 2013. Thus, understanding the issues arising from this relation (social and ecological elements) may be useful to guide conservation strategies of wildlife resources at local level.…”

Richness and trophic guilds of carnivorous mammals in ejido Nuevo Becal, Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico

“…Productive activities include agriculture, livestock farming, beekeeping, and coal extraction; also practiced are subsistence hunting and, to a lesser extent, hunting (Weber 2000;Escamilla et al 2000;Reyna-Hurtado and Tanner 2007;Santos-Fita et al 2012;Briceño-Méndez et al 2014;Briceño-Mendez et al 2016).…”

A pan-neotropical analysis of hunting preferences

“…Studies have noted that hunters are sometimes prone to underreporting small-mammal catches (Smith 1976;Koster 2007;Santos-Fita et al 2012). Similarly, not every study ran for a full year, and may, therefore, have under-represented species which are only hunted in certain seasons.…”