Víctor M. Toledo

Indigenous Peoples and Biodiversity

Indigenous people number more than 300 million. They are inhabitants of practically every main biome of the earth and especially of the least disturbed terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of the world. Based on an exhaustive review of published data, this article stresses the strategic importance of indigenous peoples in the maintenance and conservation of the worlds biodiversity. Four main links between biodiversity and indigenous peoples are examined: the correlation between biological richness and cultural diversity on both geopolitical and biogeographic terms, the strategic importance of indigenous peoples in the biomass appropriation; the remarkable overlap between indigenous territories and the worlds remaining areas of high biodiversity; and the importance of indigenous views, knowledge, and practices in biodiversity conservation. The article finishes by emphasizing the urgent need for recognizing a new bio–cultural axiom: that the worlds biodiversity will be effectively preserved only by preserving diversity of cultures and vice versa.

Oriole pollination ofErythrina breviflora (Leguminosae): Evidence for a polytypic view of ornithophily

Erythrina breviflora is visited by large numbers of passerine birds of which orioles (Icterus: Icteridae) are the primary pollinators. The flowers produce large quantities of nectar but they are rarely visited by hummingbirds. Inflorescence and floral morphology, and low levels of sucrose in the nectar probably explain the rarity of foraging hummingbirds. A comparison of Old WorldErythrina and their pollinators with New World species pollinated by orioles and hummingbirds suggests that parallel evolution has occurred. When the comparison is expanded to include other species pollinated by orioles, it is clear that various New WorldIcteridae, Thraupidae, etc. are ecological equivalents of Old WorldOriolidae, Pycnonotidae, Sturnidae, etc. and that flowers pollinated by these birds have similar characteristics.

Pollination of Some Rain Forest Plants by Non-Hovering Birds in Veracruz, Mexico

This paper gives an account of observations carried out on five plant species in the rain forest of Veracruz, Mexico, and indicates that non-hovering birds such as vireos, warblers, tanagers, finches, orioles, blackbirds, and honeycreepers are important as flower visitors and should be investigated in the future as pollinators of American rain forest plants. ECOLOGICAL STUDIES on pollinators of Neotropical rain forest plants have been initiated in different animal groups such as bees (Janzen 1971), sphinx moths (Young 1972), hummingbirds (Linhart 1973, Stiles 1975), and bats (Heithaus, Baker, and Opler 1974). However, very little attention has been paid to the role played by many species of nectar-feeding birds such as vireos, warblers, tanagers, finches, orioles, blackbirds, honeycreepers, and other occasionally nectariphagous birds of rain forests. Ornithological observations show a high number of species of these birds visiting a significantly high number of flowering species of Neotropical plants (Skutch 1962, Alvarez del Toro 1963, Leck 1970, Timken 1970, Snow 1971), and evidence exists that in some bird groups the adaptive modifications producing new evolutionary lines have been based on nectar-feeding diets (Beecher, 1950, 1951a, 1951b), a finding which implies a long history of attainable

Coffee and Sustainability: The Multiple Values of Traditional Shaded Coffee

Coffee is grown widely throughout the tropics on about 5 million farms from 85 countries. Several studies carried out during the last decade revealed the importance of traditional shaded coffee for biodiversity maintenance and protection. However, there is only biological and no interdisciplinary exploration of the multiple values and benefits of these agroforestry systems. We identify and review four kinds of nonbiological values, which complement its tested importance as a refuge for tropical biodiversity, as a contribution to the complete valuation of traditional shaded coffee. By briefly describing a case study in Mexico, we show how traditional shade-grown coffee is critical for areas where sustainable projects are being implemented. This article concludes by exploring three key dimensions of sustainability: economy, landscapes, and livelihoods.

La Estacionalidad de las Flores Utilizadas por los Colibries de una Selva Tropical Humeda en Mexico

A 15-month study of the flowering season of the hummingbird flower community was conducted in an evergreen rain forest in the southeastern part of Mexico (Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz). This community comprised at least 11 species of htummingbirds and 26 species of flowering plants. The recorded blooming seasons of the plants show a period of abundant nectar resources for the hummingbirds from February to July with a peak in April, and a period of scarcity of flowers during the last four months of the year. Data are given on the ecological distribution and on the reproductive periods of the hummingbirds studied, and these are briefly discussed in relation to the flower seasonality.

Diez tesis sobre la crisis de la modernidad

Se hace una apretada sintesis de lo que significa la crisis de la civilizacion industrial o moderna, a partir de una mirada historica que contempla el paisaje completo del pasado humano y de la vida. Se plantea que el dilema central es entre tradicion y modernidad, y que para remontar la crisis se requiere remontar el dominio del racionalismo, la dependencia de la energia fosil, el abandono al que se ha condenado al individuo y la fase corporativa del capitalismo. Se identifica la construccion del poder social como la piedra axial de una ecologia politica verdaderamente emancipadora. Se concluye que las proximas decadas seran cruciales pues se habra de vivir el conflicto supremo entre el mono demente y el mono pensante, entre los intereses particulares y perversos y la conciencia cosmica. De ello dependera la supervivencia de la especie humana o su desaparicion.Resumen: Se hace una apretada sintesis de lo que significa la crisis de lacivilizacion industrial o moderna, a partir de una mirada historica que contemplael paisaje completo del pasado humano y de la vida. Se plantea que el dilemacentral es entre tradicion y modernidad, y que para remontar la crisis se requiereremontar el dominio del racionalismo, la dependencia de la energia fosil, el aban-dono al que se ha condenado al individuo y la fase corporativa del capitalismo. Seidentifica la construccion del poder social como la piedra axial de una ecologiapolitica verdaderamente emancipadora. Se concluye que las proximas decadas se-ran cruciales pues se habra de vivir el conflicto supremo entre el mono demente yel mono pensante, entre los intereses particulares y perversos y la conciencia cos-mica. De ello dependera la supervivencia de la especie humana o su desaparicion. Palabras clave: Crisis de civilizacion; poder social; conciencia de espe-cie, conciencia cosmica. Ten theses on the crisis of modernity

Revisualizar lo rural desde una perspectiva multidisciplinaria

Los autores presentan el nuevo enfoque que busca la integracion de las ciencias de la naturaleza con las ciencias sociales y humanas. Destacan el surgimiento de las disciplinas hibridas y las nuevas propuestas epistemologicas y metodologicas, exponiendo en particular el surgimiento de la sociologia ambiental y el tema de lo rural como referente empirico. Analizan el metabolismo entre la sociedad y la naturaleza, relevando la apropiacion de la naturaleza como eje de lo rural mostrando su caracter multidimensional. Concluyen en la necesidad de estudiar lo rural desde una perspectiva multidisciplinaria senalando que la crisis del mundo moderno que se experimenta dice relacion con la transgresion de los limites biofisicos del planeta.

Ten theses on the crisis of modernity

Se hace una apretada sintesis de lo que significa la crisis de la civilizacion industrial o moderna, a partir de una mirada historica que contempla el paisaje completo del pasado humano y de la vida. Se plantea que el dilema central es entre tradicion y modernidad, y que para remontar la crisis se requiere remontar el dominio del racionalismo, la dependencia de la energia fosil, el abandono al que se ha condenado al individuo y la fase corporativa del capitalismo. Se identifica la construccion del poder social como la piedra axial de una ecologia politica verdaderamente emancipadora. Se concluye que las proximas decadas seran cruciales pues se habra de vivir el conflicto supremo entre el mono demente y el mono pensante, entre los intereses particulares y perversos y la conciencia cosmica. De ello dependera la supervivencia de la especie humana o su desaparicion.Resumen: Se hace una apretada sintesis de lo que significa la crisis de lacivilizacion industrial o moderna, a partir de una mirada historica que contemplael paisaje completo del pasado humano y de la vida. Se plantea que el dilemacentral es entre tradicion y modernidad, y que para remontar la crisis se requiereremontar el dominio del racionalismo, la dependencia de la energia fosil, el aban-dono al que se ha condenado al individuo y la fase corporativa del capitalismo. Seidentifica la construccion del poder social como la piedra axial de una ecologiapolitica verdaderamente emancipadora. Se concluye que las proximas decadas se-ran cruciales pues se habra de vivir el conflicto supremo entre el mono demente yel mono pensante, entre los intereses particulares y perversos y la conciencia cos-mica. De ello dependera la supervivencia de la especie humana o su desaparicion. Palabras clave: Crisis de civilizacion; poder social; conciencia de espe-cie, conciencia cosmica. Ten theses on the crisis of modernity

The use of birds as pets in Mexico

BackgroundThe use of birds as pets has been a historical tradition in Mexico since prehispanic times. It has survived through bird traders, called pajareros, which is a local name given to the trade (derived from pájaro, the Spanish word for bird). However, the trade of birds has not been sufficiently described; therefore, the goal of this paper is to analyze the bird trade in Mexico using the components of an ethnoecology scheme known as kosmos-corpus-praxis complex.MethodsQualitative research techniques were used, including ethnographic immersion, participative research, and interviews of 79 pajareros in 22 localities in nine Mexican states.ResultsThe activity of the pajareros occurs within their households, with each member having distinct roles. The roles involved in bird trading are capturing, acclimation, maintenance, and sale. Their assignment depends on gender, age, and residential location (rural or urban). Beyond their households, the pajareros are well organized in trade unions and are represented by a leader, who acts as an intermediate between them and the government officers who are involved in the authorization of federal permits. The pajareros use 96 species of birds, most of which are native to Mexico. Practicing the trade requires highly specific knowledge of the biology, ecology, habitat, nutrition, diseases, and behavior of the birds, as well as the abiotic components of their environment, such as climatology and geography. The cosmovision of pajarero households is embedded in their identity, making them proud of their trade.ConclusionsOur paper provides the first comprehensive description of the pajarero trade, showing evidence of local communitarian management in the places where the wild birds are captured.

¿Contra nosotros? la conciencia de especie y el surgimiento de una nueva filosofía política

El articulo analiza el desarrollo de las nanotecnologias en el contexto de la irrupcion de la crisis economica mundial. Comienza destacando los elementos claves de una revolucion tecnologica: las caracteristicas tecnicas, el papel en la acumulacion de capital y el impacto sobre las clases sociales. Luego se analiza el lugar de la tecnologia en el desarrollo, para terminar mostrando como las tendencias a la concentracion del capital estan envolviendo a las nanotecnologias, lo cual puede llevar a un mundo mas desigual al que ya existe hoy en dia. Las nanotecnologias constituyen la base de la proxima revolucion industrial que ya se esta estableciendo. Con la irrupcion de la crisis economica mundial tambien las nuevas tecnologias se veran impactadas. Algunos voceros gubernamentales de paises desarrollados han mencionado que podrian ser utilizadas como palanca para salir de la crisis, por el contrario en este articulo se presenta el tema en el contexto de las tendencias a la concentracion del capital.La humanidad ha comenzado a percibirse como una especie que podria enfrentar la extincion, y si ese sera o no nuestro futuro es una cuestion que sera definida por los conscientes o los dementes. Se argumenta que la principal ilusion del ser humano es seguir creyendo que somos seres inteligentes, cuando en realidad hemos estado atentando contra nuestras propias fuentes de sobrevida. Y se pregunta: ?No hay en realidad una brecha tajante y profunda entre el ser humano dotado de esta conciencia de especie y el que carece de ella? ?No parece que se procrean en realidad dos especies dentro de un mismo gremio biologico? Postula el articulo como posibilidad optimista de futuro la conciencia de especie, una politica que sea un “pacto por la vida” y una etica planetaria por la supervivencia.