A review about the use of land and freshwater turtles in modern mayan communities of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

Turtles were an important part of the culture of ancient populations, however, currently, there are few places where human interaction with this group of reptiles is recognized, without studies focused on knowing the general use that turtles today have in the Yucatecan region. The objective of this work was to realize a systematic review of the use and exploitation that modern Mayan populations provide to freshwater and land turtles in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. A list of turtle species was compiled through a thorough search of ethnobiological studies and occasional observations carried out in the study area. We determined the categories of use, their distribution and their conservation status in the Mexican and international regulations. Fifteen (15) studies were found where were the use of continental turtles by Yucatec Mayan communities was indicated. Ten (10) species were identified, distributed in seven genera and five families. The Meso-American Slider (Trachemys venusta) was the most mentioned species. The “Food”, “Medicinal” and “Pet” categories were the ones with the highest number of records. Seven species are protected in Mexican regulations, two are considered internationally threatened and six species have a high score of environmental vulnerability. The high number of reports of use and exploitation of continental turtles in the study area demonstrates the importance of these reptiles in the daily life of modern Mayan populations, as well as highlights the need for studies to known more in detail about the use of these species and to generate strategies that promote the conservation of the continental turtles and to kept the customs and traditions of the native peoples.