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| The Multiple Use of Tropical Forests by Indigenous Peoples in Mexico: a Case of Adaptive Management |
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Reference |
| Toledo, V. M., B. Ortiz-Espejel, L. Cortés, P. Moguel, and M. D. J. Ordoñez. 2003. The multiple use of tropical forests by indigenous peoples in Mexico: a case of adaptive management. Conservation Ecology 7(3): 9. [online] URL:http://www.consecol.org/vol7/iss3/art9/ |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| This case study of CPRI describes a management strategy adopted by some indigenous groups inhabiting the tropical rain forest areas of Mexico that seems to be an endogenous response to the new demographic, cultural, technological, informational, and economic conditions of the contemporary world. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Spacial Boundaries: Village Plan de Hidalgo, an indigenous community located in the tropical humid lowlands of the Totonacapan region in Veracruz Social Boundaries: The Totonac Indians. Plan de Hidalgo is a typical indigenous community where 80% of the people speak the Totonac language. The indigenous peoples of the tropical humid areas of contemporary Mexico are immersed in a dual economy. They produce goods for the market and buy goods using cash yet, at the same time, they produce basic commodities for their own consumption. These indigenous communities with the described strategy have developed a relatively stable and satisfactory land-use system |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Six main production or land-use units, each having a landscape or spatial representation. (1) The milpa or maize field is usually a rain-fed multi-species system, in which maize is combined with almost any other local crop or tree or shrub species. It is common for a milpa to be cultivated for 2 or 3 years, with successive fallow periods of 3 (short fallow) to 12 (long fallow) years. (2) Cash-crop fields. In addition to the multi-species milpas, Totonac Indians also manage small areas with monocultures of sugar cane, oranges, sesame seeds, beans, and chilies. (3) Home gardens or solares. In Plan de Hidalgo, the home gardens have a three-layer stratification of tree canopies combined with an herb understorey. Animals such as swine, chickens, turkeys, pigeons, and wild pheasants (chachalacas). A few households also keep native bees on a small scale in their home gardens. (4) Potreros (cattle-raising areas). Cattle are raised in the community in a small-scale, multi-species system. (5) Vanilla groves and (6) Secondary and mature forests. Mature forests are used as the main source of several products of plant and animal origin, which are obtained through gathering, extraction, and hunting. They determine how much labor to put into each of the various land-use (or eco-geographical) units so as to obtain the best “pay-off” under various environmental and economic scenarios. As a result, indigenous farmers successfully obtain products both for consumption and for the market, thereby achieving an economy in which self-sufficiency is complemented by surplus. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Not mentioned |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| Not mentioned |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Not mentioned |
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Other Features of Institution |
| The indigenous peoples of the tropical humid areas of contemporary Mexico are immersed in a dual economy. They produce goods for the market and buy goods using cash yet, at the same time, they produce basic commodities for their own consumption. These indigenous communities with the described strategy have developed a relatively stable and satisfactory land-use system that possesses three remarkable characteristics essential for sustainability a) it maintains high levels of biodiversity, b) it is highly resilient, and c) it tends to be maintained for long periods of time. |
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Purpose |
| Tropical forest management |
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Country |
| Mexico |
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Region |
| Tropical moist zones of Mexico |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-2003 |
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