Relational values and management of plant resources in two communities in a highly biodiverse area in western Mexico

Sofía Monroy-Sais (), Eduardo García-Frapolli (), Alejandro Casas (), Francisco Mora (), Margaret Skutsch () and Peter R. W. Gerritsen ()
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Sofía Monroy-Sais: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Eduardo García-Frapolli: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Alejandro Casas: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Francisco Mora: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Margaret Skutsch: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Peter R. W. Gerritsen: Centro Universitario de La Costa Sur, Universidad de Guadalajara

Agriculture and Human Values, 2022, vol. 39, issue 4, No 8, 1244 pages

Abstract: Abstract In many cultures, interactions between humans and plants are rooted in what is called “relational values”—values that derive from relationships and entail reciprocity. In Mexico, biocultural diversity is mirrored in the knowledge and use of some 6500 plant species and the domestication of over 250 Mesoamerican native crop species. This research explores how different sets of values are attributed to plants and how these influence management strategies to maintain plant resources in wild and anthropogenic environments. We ran workshops in two communities (one Indigenous, the other non-Indigenous) in a highly biodiverse region in western Mexico, to ascertain the values and management activities related to important plant resources. The relationship between values attributed to plants and management activities was examined through redundancy analysis. A total of 180 plant resources were mentioned during the workshops, with a broad spectrum of values attributed to them, including material, non-material, and regulatory dimensions. We divided plant management strategies into three general categories of increasing intensity and complexity. We found that participants in the Indigenous community value and manage more wild plant resources than people in the non-Indigenous community. We also identified relationships between plant resource values and the type of management performed; for example, more intensive forms of management, such as sowing seeds, were used for seasonal plants that had a food value. By valuing and managing different sets of plant resources from forest, agricultural plots, and home gardens, people enabled multi-functional landscapes to form, illustrating a key feature of relational values in agroecosystems, which promotes both conservation and domestication of plants.

Keywords: Biodiversity conservation; Ejido; Indigenous community; Plant management; Indigenous and local knowledge; Social values (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-022-10313-6

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