Indigenous Traditional Knowledge on Wild Edible Mushrooms: Cultural Significance, Extraction Practices, and Factors Leading to Changes in Their Abundance in Central Mexico

Abstract

Wild edible mushrooms (WEM) constitute a relevant component of indigenous cultures worldwide; their use is part of forest management practices that promote conservation by local communities. However, global biocultural diversity is threatened by socioeconomic, political, and cultural changes. Through participatory research, this study analyzes the cultural significance of selected mushroom species, local traditional knowledge about conditions and processes affecting WEM communities, and traditional practices employed in their extraction in an indigenous community in Central Mexico. We carried out ethnomycological hikes and participatory mapping to characterize collection sites and conducted semi-structured interviews with people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds about the importance of WEM, extraction and conservation sustainable practices, and anthropogenic and environmental factors affecting them. Fifty species of WEM were registered. We developed an index of the cultural importance of WEM that led us to establish the species of the highest cultural relevance. Vegetation type, rainfall, soil composition, selected logging by outsiders, fires, and the use of traditional harvesting techniques were recognized as factors affecting mushroom production. Traditional harvesting techniques locally perceived as adequate include leaving part of the stipe in place, collecting only mushrooms of large size while leaving those of smaller size, and cleaning and shaking them at the place of collection. Results suggest that the prevalence of biocultural knowledge about WEM is influenced by age, main economic activity, and household's distance to the forest. Integrating traditional knowledge and the community context by combining ethnographic and quantitative methods, resulted in a complementary approach to spatial, temporal, and environmental characterization of mushroom collection sites; it also allowed understanding factors influencing WEM cultural significance, and traditional local knowledge of WEM communities and their management.