Table 2 Criteria of variables considered for analyzing sociocultural and ecologic factors that influence management intensity

Sociocultural

(matrix X)

Uses number

Total number of registered uses

1 per use

SI basic plants

Sutrop’s cognitive prominence index of plants considered as basic to live in Ixcatlán

0–1; 0 is a value assigned when no consultant mentioned the plant, and 1 is a theoretical value that a plant could have if all consultants mentioned it at first rank [39]

SI by use type

Sutrop’s cognitive prominence index of plants by category (edible, medicinal, ceremonial)

0–1; 0 is a value assigned when no consultant mentioned the plant, and 1 is a theoretical value that a plant could have if all consultants mentioned it at first rank [39]

Consumption

Proportion of families that have consumed the species for the analyzed use in the last 2 years

0–1

Use frequency

Frequency of consumption per availability season/year for analyzed use (2)

0 = never been consumed; 1 ≤ 5 times in their life; 2 ≥ 5 times in their life but not regularly; 3 = 1 time every 2 availability seasons; 4 = 1 a 2 times by availability season; 5 = 3 a 10 times by availability season

Recognized variants

Types or varieties recognized (1)

0 = no varieties are recognized; 1 = varieties are recognized for a plant, but each variety is a different species; 2 = varieties are recognized for a species but are used equally; 3 = varieties are recognized and have specialized use

Economic interchange

Type of commercial exchange (1)

1 = direct consumption; 2 = bartering; 3 = sold inside the village by collectors of the community or comers who obtain it in other places; 4 = harvested inside the village and are marketed outside (plants or products)

Reciprocity interchange

Type of exchange of reciprocity (1)

1 = direct consumption; 2 = it is given and received as a gift to/from others; 3 = it is offered in communal celebrations (harvested by sponsors celebration or families who offer the plants to sponsor celebration)

Sociocultural strategies

Strategies to obtain the plant when scarce or unavailable (1)

0 = nothing; 1 = mobility, look elsewhere; 2 = substitution for other species or products; 3 = store them; 4 = ask someone to give them; 5 = seek to obtain it by barter; 6 = buy them

Useful parts^a

Number of useful parts

1 per used part

Harvest effort^a

Invested effort in harvest in a journey (1)

1 = opportunist; 2 = journey dedicated to harvest the species

Tools for harvest^a

Use of tools, supplies, and vehicles in harvest (1)

None, only hands are used; 1 = objects obtained at harvest site; 2 = knife, machete; 2 = Arundo donax pole, baskets, bags; 3 = load animals, vehicles, chainsaws

Ecological

(Matrix W)

Abundance perception

Abundance perception in the territory (2)

1 = very abundant; 2 = abundant; 3 = regular abundance; 4 = scarce; 5 = rare

Vulnerability

Plant vulnerability to factors affecting productivity, quality, and survival (2)

1 = nothing affects and always produces the same; 2 = plague, drought, steady harvest, others

Life cycle

Life cycle type of the species

1 = annual; 2 = perennial

Reproduction

Reproduction type of the species

1 = sexual and asexual; 2 = sexual

Harvested parts

Harvested parts for all use types of the plant in function of survival, resprouting, and reproductive capacity after useful part harvest (1)

1 = living individual; 1 = dry branches; 2 = exudates, thorns; 3 = leaves; 4 = sprout; 5 = mature branches (lignified tissue/flowers); 6 = fruits, seeds; 7 = bark; 8 = all flowers/fruits of the season; 9 = main stalk; 9 = roots; 10 = complete individuals

Nearness to harvest site^a

Closeness perception of harvest sites to consumption site (2)

1 = far away; 2 = far; 3 = not too far; 4 = near; 5 = at hand

Temporal availability^a

Temporal availability of the useful part for the analyzed use (2)

1 = all year; 2 = months; 3 = weeks; 5 = days

Management

(Response matrix Y)

Collective regulations

Type of regulation for the harvest (1)

0 = without restrictions; 1 = there are “costumbres” traditions that indicate the techniques, quantity, and occasions of harvest; 2 = in addition to communal agreements aimed at regulating the access, they are aware that external institutions protect the species; 3 = complaints have been made or penalties imposed

Management practices

Management practice type (1)

1 = gathering, forage; 2 = gathering with care to avoid damaging the plant; 3 = tolerance; 4 = enhancement; 5 = protection; 6 = transplanting of individuals; 7 = propagation

Artificial selection

Selection of individuals and propagules (1)

0 = without selection; 1 = selection of individuals or parts that are collected for consumption; 2 = selection of tolerated, protected or enhanced individuals; 3 = selection of individuals from which seeds or cuttings are obtained to propagate

Management in AFS

Species presence proportion in homegardens, agricultural fields, and mescal factories

0–3

Practices number^a

Number of management practices carried out

1 by type of practices

Maintaining labors^a

Type of labors carried out to protect, enhance, and cultivate

1 = prepare soil; fix to hosts; exclusion of predators with fences, cages; removal of competitors; pruning, removing dried or diseased leaves; mechanical support; addition of forest soil, sand, ash, residues of organic matter; addition of lime

2 = irrigation

3 = infrastructure and special equipment for maintenance

Management system type^a

System type where plant is managed with respect to species natural distribution (1)

1 = wild vegetation where plants are distributed naturally; 2 = homegardens, gardens in mescal factories or “palenques,” and agricultural fields, where plants are naturally distributed; 3 = homegardens, mescal factories, and agricultural fields, where plants have been carried; 4 = greenhouses and nurseries