XVI International Botanical Congess

Ethnoecological studies that combine ethnographic and ecological methods offer a promising approach to assess the conservation status of these wild-harvested plant resources. Ethnographic research establishes traditional management practices for a given plant population. Population surveys then identify size-class distribution and harvest patterns, experimental harvests estimate harvest impacts, and matrix models are constructed to derive lambda (?), a projected stable-stage distribution, and elasticity. The literature as it pertains to matrix modeling and the sustainability of wild-harvested plant populations is reviewed. Given their economic and ecological importance in the tropics and their suitability for modeling palms figure prominently in this research. A case study of a wild-harvested Mexican palm is presented to demonstrate this approach. While matrix models are only one part of the picture they are a powerful tool for assessing sustainability and identifying harvest practices which contribute to it.