BackgroundCuatrociénegas is a region of unique biological, geological, geographical and evolutionary importance. It is part of the Chihuahua Desert, its current population is mestizo; however, it has a high historical, cultural and tourist relevance. It has been cataloged as a Flora and Fauna by Mexican law, as well as a High Protection site by the World Wildlife Fund and UNESCO. Because of its complex biological and sociocultural characteristics, we consider it important to know, determine, identify and analyze the traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and practices in this region.MethodsBetween 2016 and 2019, seven field trips were made to document the knowledge and use of flora. Cuatrociénegas is a protected area, collecting botanical material is regulated, so specimens were photographed and collected in neighboring communities, and in public and private gardens. Later permission was obtained to complete the collection of specimens (2019-2020). The plants were identified and entered into the flora database of the state of Coahuila, and deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Forest Sciences, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico. One hundred and ten local residents (50 men and 60 women) aged between 27 and 91 years were interviewed (semi-structured interviews). The cultural importance of ethnobotanical resources (cultural significance index) and its significance with respect to ethnobotanical richness in other Biosphere Reserves in Mexico (Mann-Whitney test) ware evaluated.Results and DiscussionThe ethnobotanical information registers 158 species and 132 genera in 57 vascular and non-vascular families, documenting a greater knowledge and use of cultivated species (84) with respect to wild species (74). The diversity of plants reported, compared to other ethnobotanical studies carried out in Biosphere Reserves, is similar. The people local pay special attention to medicinal and ornamental plants. The species that presented the highest use values are Larrea tridentata, Jatropha dioica and Machaeranthera pinnatifida, three characteristic species of the desert region.ConclusionsThe particular diversity of wild flora in Cuatrociénegas Valley, combined with the varied introduced flora, is an important multifunctional resource. Special attention to introduced species is associated with use restrictions; as well as the high value of ornamental species, difficult to maintain in desert areas. The extensive knowledge and use of ethnobotany are an example that biocultural diversity (at the conceptual level) is also, strongly associated with socio-ecological system with mestizo groups and semi-urban rural landscapes, ceasing to be exclusive to indigenous regions.

Background Cuatrociénegas, part of the Chihuahuan Desert, is a region of unique biological, geological, geographical, and evolutionary importance. Its current population is mestizo; nevertheless, it has high national historical, cultural, and touristic relevance in Mexico. It has been cataloged as nationally significant for its flora and fauna by Mexican law, as well as being designated a High Protection site by the World Wildlife Fund and UNESCO. Because of its diverse and complex biological and sociocultural characteristics, we considered it important to determine, identify, and analyze various aspects of the traditional ethnobotanical knowledge and practices in this region. Methods Between 2016 and 2019, seven field trips were made to document the knowledge and use of flora. Cuatrociénegas is a protected area, collecting botanical material is regulated, so specimens were photographed and collected in neighboring communities, and in public and private gardens. Later permission was obtained to complete the collection of specimens (2019–2020). The plants were identified and entered into the flora database of the state of Coahuila, and deposited in the Herbarium of the Faculty of Forest Sciences, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico. One hundred ten local residents (50 men and 60 women), aged between 27 and 91 years, were interviewed (semi-structured interviews). The cultural importance of ethnobotanical resources (cultural significance index) and its significance with respect to ethnobotanical richness in other Biosphere Reserves in Mexico (Mann-Whitney test), and similarities in the diversity of exotic species (Sørensen index) were studied. Results and discussion The ethnobotanical information registers 158 species and 132 genera in 57 vascular and non-vascular families, documenting a greater knowledge and use of cultivated species (84) with respect to wild species (74). The diversity of plants reported is compared to other ethnobotanical studies carried out in Mexican Biosphere Reserves. These results are highly relevant, in spite of unique exotic species. The people local pay special attention to medicinal and ornamental plants. The species that presented the highest use values are Larrea tridentata, Jatropha dioica, and Machaeranthera pinnatifida, three species characteristic of the desert region. Conclusions The particular diversity of wild flora in Cuatrociénegas Valley, combined with the varied introduced flora, is an important multifunctional resource. Special attention to introduced species is associated with harvesting use restrictions in the protected area as well as the high value of ornamental species that are difficult to maintain in desert areas. The extensive use of ethnobotanical knowledge is an example that biocultural diversity (at the conceptual level) is also strongly associated with socio-ecological systems incorporating mestizo groups and semi-urban rural landscapes, thus ceasing to be an exclusive focus of indigenous communities and regions.

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.

REVIEW 1 research, Trends on mexican ethnozoological vertebrates case: a systematic review ABSTRACT Systematic reviews and meta-analytical approach are a tool used in different social and biological disciplines, but its application in evaluating ethnobiological information is scarce. Thus, through this analytical approach, we seek to answer if there are any patterns in the mexican ethnozoological scientific production. We searched for studies published between 2005 and 2015 in catalogues, repositories and databases. For evaluating significative differences among seven variable datasets, we first used non parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests and then Tukey multiple comparison tests. We also determined the link between researchers and institutions with a multidimensional non-metric scaling analysis. We found 295 published studies, book chapters were the most representative (27%), diffusion articles (20%), impact factor articles (15%) and indexed articles (14%). There are significant differences in the number of publications among the evaluated years, among thematic areas, study focus (qualitative/quantitative), ethnographic and biological methods. Regarding academic linking, we identified 94 author adscription institutions, however, no research networks were identified. Our results suggest that the amount, diffusion and reach of mexican ethnozoological production show a tendency to non-periodic publishing, predilection for qualitative approach, a low use of statistical and ethnobiological analysis, as well as an inadequate selection of biological methods. We suggest this data analysis approach will allow a better standardization for information taking and processing, aiding the discipline in its growth and consolidation.

Iturbide is in the northeast of Mexico and has a rich native and exotic flora; however, there are no ethnobotanical records, therefore, it requires attention in the documentation of traditional knowledge and practices of its botanical resources. In 2021, twelve field trips were carried out, applying 110 semi-structured interviews. Plant samples were collected, identified and deposited in an herbarium. We used the Chi-square test to compare the anthropocentric categories concerning others reported in Mexico. To determine the cultural importance, three ethnobotanical indices were applied (UVI, ICF and FL). We recorded 250 species with ethnobotanical implications associated with 121 genera and 83 families, including 140 native and 110 exotic species. The most common plant families were Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Fabaceae. The main categories of uses were: ornamental, medicinal and food. The species with the highest UVI values were Lepidium peruvianum, Ocimum basilicum and Salvia rosamrinus. The multifunctionality of the native and exotic flora demonstrates the extensive knowledge associated with botanical resources. For example, the role of ornamental plants, with a direct impact on human well-being, the resilience of healers and traditional inhabitants by using different species for the treatment of various ailments or indigenous edible plants in the daily diet.