Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez|Javier Caballero|Jorge A. Meave|Fernando Chiang
Cultural change and loss of ethnoecological knowledge among the Isthmus Zapotecs of Mexico
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México|Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México|Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México|Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
global changes affect local societies may cause loss ecological knowledge process cultural change zapotec communities oaxacan isthmus intensified first years 20th century due industrial agroindustrial modernization projects increase level formal schooling based case oaxacan isthmus study assesses relationship cultural change loss traditional ecological knowledge tekthree hundred male heads family interviewed three municipalities isthmus tehuantepec oaxaca mexico selected span wide range cultural change participant shown herbarium specimens photographs sample 30 species drawn pool 94 representing local plant diversity visual recognition species knowledge plant form generic name specific name local uses scored sum five scores provided index global knowledge used proxy tek analysis variance revealed differences groups economic activities collected sociodemographic data interviewees age level schooling competency local language data ran principal component analysis took first axis index cultural change correlated scores obtained respondentwe found statistically significant differences groups people different economic activities well highly significant negative relationship index cultural change ecological knowledge levels regression coefficients 812 883 indicating cultural change affecting traditional botanical knowledgeour results shown cultural change indicated occupational activity level formal schooling competence indigenous language negatively associated loss zapotec ethnobotanical knowledge heads family engaged secondary economic activities services less culturally competent especially regarding knowledge generic specific names well plant uses