Silvopastoral systems of the Chol Mayan ethnic group in southern Mexico: Strategies with a traditional basis

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 181; pp. 363 - 373
• Main Authors: Pignataro, Ana Genoveva, Levy Tacher, Samuel Israel, Aguirre Rivera, Juan Rogelio, Nahed Toral, José, González Espinosa, Mario, Rendón Carmona, Nelson
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2016; Academic Press Ltd
• Subjects: Agricultural management; Agriculture - methods; Animals; Cattle; Chiapas; Chiapas Mexico; Cynodon plectostachyus; Ecosystem; Ecosystem services; Fertilizers; Fires; Grassland; Humans; Mexico - ethnology; Natural resources; Poaceae; Salto de Agua; Scattered trees; Silvopastoral systems; Sustainable agriculture; Traditional agricultural technology; Trees; Chiapas Mexico; Mexico, Chiapas; Mexico; Traditional agricultural technology; Ecosystem services; Salto de Agua; Scattered trees; Chiapas; Silvopastoral systems
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.06.036

Silvopastoral systems combine trees and/or shrubs with grazing cattle. In the municipality of Salto de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico, some indigenous communities have developed silvopastoral systems based on their traditional knowledge regarding use of local natural resources. Through analysis of classification based on the composition of tree vegetation, two groups of grazing units were identified in the study area. Different attributes of tree and herbaceous vegetation, as well as of agricultural management and production, were compared between the two groups. Results indicate that at least two strategies of silvopastoral management exist. The first - LTD - is characterized by an average density of 22 adult trees ha−1 in grazing units with an average surface area of 22.4 ha. The second - HTD - has an average of 54.4 trees ha−1 in grazing units with an average surface area of 12.2 ha. Average richness per grazing unit for the LTD strategy was 7.2 species, and for HTD strategy it was 12.7 species. Average basal area for LTD was 1.7 m2 ha−1, and for HTD 3.8 m2 ha−1. Finally, the average level of fixed carbon for LTD was 2.12 mg ha−1, and for HTD 4.89 mg ha−1. For all variables, there was a significant difference between the two strategies. In addition, both strategies differ in prairie management. In the HTD strategy, growers spare their preferred spontaneously growing tree species by clearing around them. Many of these species, particularly those harvested for timber, belong to the original vegetation. In these prairies, average coverage of native grasses (60.8 ± 7.85) was significantly greater than in the LTD strategy (38.4 ± 11.32), and neither fertilizers nor fire are used to maintain or improve the pastures; by contrast, in HTD prairies, introduced grasses, principally Cynodon plectostachyus, have a higher average coverage (43.4 ± 13.75) than in the LTD prairies (17.08 ± 9.02). Regardless of the differences in composition of tree and herbaceous vegetation, in both types of grazing units a similar animal load is maintained.
Many attributes of these silvopastoral strategies - based on traditional technology of the Chol farmers of the Tulija River Valley - concord with sustainable agriculture and provide a wide variety of services to the farmer and the environment. Diffusion of this technology in areas similar to that of this region could have a positive impact on the economy of conventional cattle raisers while generating environmental services.
•The Chol Mayans of Tulija practice two strategies of silvopastoral cattle management.•These strategies differ with respect to density and floristic tree composition.•Management of prairies is based on traditional Chol Mayan agricultural technology.•The resulting high tree density does not negatively affect cattle production.•These management strategies have attributes according to sustainable agriculture.