Dimensions of Sustainability: the Use of Vara Blanca As a Natural Resource in the Tropical Deciduous Forest of Sonora, Mexico
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Dimensions of sustainability: The use of vara blanca as a natural resource in the tropical deciduous forest of Sonora, Mexico Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Lindquist, Cynthia Anne Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 23/09/2021 11:56:24 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/284272 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Bell & Howell Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY; THE USE OF K4J14 BLANCA AS A NATURAL RESOURCE IN THE TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST OF SONORA, MEXICO By Cynthia Anne Lindquist Copyright © Cynthia Anne Lindquist 2000 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN ARID LANDS RESOURCE SCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2000 UMI Number; 9992094 Copyright 2000 by Lindquist, Cynthia Anne All rights reserved. UMI ® UMI Microform 9992094 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of Che Final Exaainacion Coomiccee, we cercify chac we have read Che dissercacion prepared by Cynthia Anne Lindquist entitled ^^£^^^^^^^£^^^__£^_Sustainabilit^^__The__Use_o^_Var^^lan£3_______ ^^ss^^^^^2Jatiiral^^Re^ource^^in^^^he^^Tro^ical_Dec_iduous__Fore^^________ of Sonora, Mexico and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling che dissercacion requiremenc for che Degree of Doctor of Philosophy y~-p^'T"8» November 8, 2000 Chaxlesnaj^les F.r. Hutcninson Dace November 8. 2000 Paul S. Martin Dace t -4^ November 8. 2000 Dace November 8. 2000 Dace Dace Final approval and accepcance of chis dissercacion is concingenc upon the candidate's submission of che final copy of che dissercacion co che Graduace College. I hereby cercify chac I have read chis dissercacion prepared under my direccion and recommend chac ic be accepced as fulfilling che dissercacion requiremenc. >4- November 30. 2000 Dissercacion DtLreccor Dace 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: .-A ' 4 Acknowledgments An enomious debt of gratitude is owed to many people for their support and encouragement during my research, only some of whom I mention here. Special thanks go to Alberto Burquez Montijo and Angelina Martinez Yrizar who have been supportive from the beginning, their help with data analysis and their advice and fhendship have been invaluable. Jeff Banister shared his ideas and knowledge of Alamos and was a field assistant extrordinaire. Others who braved heat, rain and chiggars in the field are: Jose Luis Palacios, Robin Kropp, Gustavo Aragon, Chapul, Pachico, and Merv Larson . Thanks to Alberto Urquides in Sinaloa for his perspectives on Croton. Merv Larson, Hildi and Gustavo Aragoo, and Enedina and Tomas helped to keep body and soul together by offering shelter and food. In particular I want to acknowledge Concha Nieblas and Ignacio Ruiz, and the many anonymous informants, residents of the Municipality of Alamos, who were willing to share their lives and experiences with me. Charlotte Rader and Esther Stuard kept the home fires burning. In Tucson Barron Orr, Darcy Shaw, Lindy Brigham were great supporters in many ways. Gerald Dewavendewa's work is seen in the graphics throughout this dissertation. Special thanks to Chuck Hutchinson for all the editorial comments and stimulating conversation and ideas. There are others who have contributed to specific papers in this dissertation, and they are acknowledged separately at the end of each manuscript. Financial support was provided in part by a grant from The University of Arizona Graduate Student Research Fund. Additional assistance from the Latin American Area Center under Dr. Diana Liverman's Land Use Change Project Grant was vital to portions of this project, and I thank her for the support, both scholarly and financial. 5 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to my parents, Esther and Norman D. Stuard, Sr., who first exposed me to nature and adventure and who taught me to look at the world through inquiring eyes. My daughters Heather, Caitlin and Anne Marie Lindquist have been supportive of this endeavor and my respect for them and their patience throughout this journey is only surpassed by my love for them. For Paul S. Martin, a great scientist and friend whose Mexico trips started it all... 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT 7 CHAPTER L INTRODUCTION 9 Perspectives on Natural Resource Utilization 9 Sustainability 11 Research and Natural Resource Utilization in Dry Tropical Forests 12 Problem Description 13 Dissertation Format 15 Natural and cultural history of a poorly known species of Croton in the tropical deciduous forest of southern Sonora 15 Vara blanca, Croton fantzianus Seymour (Euphorbiaceae): An example of natural resource utilization in the tropical deciduous forest 16 Non-timber forest products and economic diversification in a Mexican municipality 16 Some effects of non-timber resource extraction on the tropical deciduous forest of Sonora, Mexico 17 References 18 CHAPTER II. PRESENT STUDY 22 Significant Results 22 Summary and Conclusions 29 APPENDIX A. NATURAL AND CULTURAL HISTORY OF A POORLY KNOWN SPECIES OF CROTON IN THE TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST OF SOUTHERN SONORA 30 APPENDIX B. VARA BLANCA, CROTON FANTZIANUS SEYMOUR (EUPHORBIACEAE): AN EXAMPLE OF NATURAL RESOURCE UTILIZATION IN THE TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST 73 APPENDIX C. NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS AND ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION IN A MEXICAN MUNICIPALITY 123 APPENDIX D. SOME EFFECTS OF NON-TIMBER RESOURCE EXTRACTION 162 7 ABSTRACT Croton fantzianiis Seymour (Euphorbiaceae), is a structurally important tree in the tropical deciduous forest of the Municipality of Alamos in southern Sonora. It has become important as a non-timber forest product within the last thirty-five years, harvested for stakes {vara blanca) for the agricultural fields in Sonora, Sinaloa and Baja California. A study was carried out on ecology of the species, macroeconomics and household economics to determine sustainability of current patterns of use. During a study on the ecology of the tree the species was identified from specimens collected and found to be a disjunct population known previously from Nicaragua. It was determined that vegetative and reproductive phenologies are driven by water availability with responses along a water gradient varying among study sites. Rapid development of silver mining in Alamos precipitated woodcutting for timber and fuel at unprecedented rates in the late 17"* century. The original tropical deciduous forest was transformed to secondary forest by this extraction. Closure of the mines in the early 20*^ century began economic isolation of the Municipality that persists today. The economy is depressed in response to national and state economy, people are under- or un-employed. Many cut vara blanca. Economic strategies in the Municipality include exploitation of non-timber forest products, the most important is vara blanca. There are three levels of organization for vara extraction; cutters, middlemen truckers, and large truckers. Income generated by each level is significantly larger than the daily minimum wage. Financial records indicate that nine of eleven respondents rely on the resource