Elaboration of the Field Guide for Seed Collecting in
the Sierras of Huautla and Taxco, Mexico
Oswaldo Téllez-Valdés, Sharon Balding, Michael Way, Tiziana Ulian
DESCRIPTION
The Sierras of Huautla (Morelos and Puebla) and Taxco (Guerrero and Mexico states)
with an area of 2,959 km2 are recognised as among the most important floristic areas
in Mexico for species richness (about 2,000 species of vascular plants) and
outstanding endemism at the regional level (Dorado et al., 1996; Martínez et al.,
2004). Several key vegetation types are represented into its boundaries (oak forest,
tropical deciduous forest, pine-oak forest, pine forest, cloud forest and even,
xerophytic scrubland) and one of the sites has been recorded for monarch butterfly
over wintering (Arriaga et al., 2000). These areas are still in a good conservation
status to be proposed as Natural Protected Areas in Mexico and the all region has
been considered as a priority by the Mexican National Biodiversity Commission
(CONABIO) (Arriaga et al., 2000).
Unfortunately, different kind of impacts are increasingly undermining the biological
diversity of the region mainly due to human activities, such as mining, timber
harvesting and in some parts also agriculture and grazing, as well as urban expansion.
For the above reasons, the Sierras of Huautla and Taxco were targeted by the
Millennium Seed Bank Project (MSBP) for ex situ conservation and the purpose of
this project is to produce a field guide to support seed collecting in these two areas.
Furthermore, CONABIO will receive a fully checked database as an additional
product of this project.
Priority species were identified through out different sources documenting endemism
and conservation status (IUCN Red List, CITES Appendices and the Mexican
Regulation, 2000). Information on the taxonomy, phenology, habitat and distribution
of each species is being compiled by consulting herbarium specimens and available
literature. Herbarium specimens are being digitized and maps showing the distribution
of the species are being produced by first mapping the known records, then by
generating the models of potential distribution (BIOCLIM) and finally by overlapping
the relevant geographic features. All the compiled and generated information will
then be incorporated into the field guide to be used during collecting expeditions in
the two targeted areas.
This is a pilot project which is intended to be replicated in other important floristic
regions of Mexico. The produced field guides will be valuable tools not only to
support ex situ conservation but also could be used as an aid for in situ conservation
by the relevant stakeholders.
PROJECT TEAM
SCD
Sharon Balding, Patricia Malcolm-Tompkins, Michael Way, Tiziana Ulian
PROJECT PARTNERS AND COLLABORATORS
Mexico
Dr. Oswaldo Téllez Valdés (UBIPRO, UNAM)
FUNDERS
United Kingdom: MSBP
Links to other projects:
Aloes of Madagascar
Madagascar GIS
GIS
MSBP Botswana
MSBP Burkina Faso
MSBP Chile
MSBP Jordan
MSBP Kenya
MSBP Lebanon
MSBP Madagascar
MSBP Mali
MSBP Malawi
MSBP Mexico
MSBP South Africa
MSBP Tanzania