CONOCIMIENTO ECOLÓGICO Y SISTEMA DE MANEJO MAYA DEL LAGARTO (Crocodylus moreletii) EN QUINTANA ROO, MÉXICO

ZAMUDIO F.; BELLO BALTAZAR E. ; ESTRADA LUGO E.I.J.

Santa Fé

Otro; Reunión Regional del Grupo de Especialistas en Cocodrilos (CSG/SSC/IUCN) para América Latina y el Caribe; 2005

Crocodile Specialist Group, Proyecto Yacaré, Ministerio de Produción, Gobierno de Santa Fé

We analyzed the traditional ecological knowledge (T.E.K.) of a Mayan group on lagarto (Crocodylus moreletii) in the context of the hunting made in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Today, though their hunting in Mexico was totally prohibited in 1970, crocodiles represent a resource of potential use for local communities. The investigation described the ecological knowledge, forms of organization, practices and strategies required for the hunting of crocodiles, and the beliefs surrounding the species. We analyzed the Mayan management system, its ecological and handling implications, and its relation with involved social mechanisms. From this analysis, a qualitative management system becomes evident, tied to the forms of social organization as well as to space. Management was based on the knowledge of the dynamics of seasonal movements of lagartos, and on the properties and characteristics of the landscape and the habitat. The management system was spatio-temporal involving the management of critical habitat, and was based on a source-sink scheme. The restriction of consumption of lagarto meat can be interpreted as a taboo. The Mayan TEK contributes new ecological information on C. Moreletii and qualitative forms of management that are complementary alternatives to conventional management.