Use and management of wild fauna by people of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley and surrounding areas, Mexico

The Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (TCV) in Mexico, recognized for its high biodiversity and ancient agricultural significance, supports 652 vertebrate species and 765 insect species. A study reveals that 107 wild animal species are used by local communities—primarily Nahua, Cuicatec, Popolocan, Ixcatec, Mazatec, and Mestizo—for food (65.42%), ornamental (27.52%), and medicinal (21.10%) purposes. These practices include manual capture, hunting, trapping, relocation, and captivity care, with some involving temporal or spatial planning and communal regulations. The research, based on a review of 38 documents and case studies from 1967 to 2018, highlights the valley's biocultural significance while identifying gaps in ethnozoological knowledge for Mixtec, Chinantec, and Chocholtec groups. Nearly 178 species used elsewhere in Mesoamerica remain undocumented in this region.

Zarazúa-Carbajal, M., Chávez-Gutiérrez, M., Romero-Bautista, Y., Rangel-Landa, S., Moreno-Calles, A. I., Ramos, L. F. A., Smith, S. E., Blancas, J., del Val, E., del Coro Arizmendi, M., & Casas, A. (2020). Use and management of wild fauna by people of the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley and surrounding areas, Mexico. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-020-0354-8