title: TEK, local perceptions of risk, and diversity of management practices of Agave inaequidens in Michoacán, Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mescal production is the main economic activity associated to agaves in Mexico, which involves 53 species mostly harvested from forests. The increasing mescal demand has influenced risk in both agave populations and mescal production, but other social and ecological factors also intervene. We hypothesized that the greater the risk the greater the complexity of management responses; otherwise, the greater the probability of populations' depletion. We analysed this hypothesis by examining the diversity of risk conditions and management practices of Agave inaequidens in the state of Michoacán, in central-western Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied five communities of Michoacán, documenting through 41 semi-structured interviews the use forms, risk perception, number of agaves annually extracted, and the management practices. Using a matrix with social-ecological and technological data analyzed by PCA, we evaluated similarities of management contexts. A data matrix with information on risk of agave populations, and other about management practices were analysed also through CCA and PCA. The scores of the first principal components were considered as indexes of risk and management complexity, respectively. A regression analysis of these indexes evaluated their relation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recorded 34 different uses of A. inaequidens, the most important being mescal production (mentioned by 76.1 % of people interviewed). Nearly 12.5 % of people practice only gathering, but others mentioned the following practices: Selective let standing of agaves for seed production (20 %); in situ transplanting of saplings; seed propagation in nurseries and saplings transplanting to forest (10 %); suckers transplanting (7.5 %); seed dispersal in forests; banning (5 %); enhancing of agave growth by removing tree canopies (2.5 %); transplanting from the wild to live fences (45 %); intensive plantations (35 %). The highest vulnerability of agave populations was identified in communities where risk is not counteracted by management. In two communities we identified the highest risk (annual extraction from 4,353 to 6,557 agaves), but different actions counteracting such risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interchange of knowledge and management experiences developed by handlers is crucial for the regional conservation, recovering, and sustainable management of A. inaequidens populations.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación (CIByC), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad 1001 Col. Chamilpa, C.P. 62209, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blancas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: León
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad (IIES), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. acasas@cieco.unam.mx.|Current address: UNAM campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro No. 8711, ExHacienda de San José de la Huerta, C.P. 58090,, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. acasas@cieco.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D027882:Agave / Q000145:classification*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D019448:Ethnobotany / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D065928:Forests; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012424:Rural Population; D029909:Sophora / Q000145:classification*