Influence of Land-Use Changes (1993 and 2013) in the Distribution of Wild Edible Fruits From Veracruz (Mexico)

Abstract

Wild edible fruits are a complement to the diet, generate income, and contain cultural values for local populations. In Mexico, their presence is threatened mainly by deforestation. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the distribution of 106 wild edible fruits from Veracruz state in several vegetation types and consider the effect of land-use changes on species distribution between 1993 and 2013. Seven species with the least number of herbarium specimens were chosen in order to estimate the current and potential distribution using Maxent models. The types of vegetation with the largest number of wild edible fruit species were the evergreen tropical rainforest with 64, deciduous tropical forest with 51, and the mountain cloud forest with 33. The largest loss between 1993 and 2013 was in secondary vegetation (0.19%) and evergreen tropical rainforest (0.11%). The main causes are the increment in human settlements and pasture, and grazing land (originally populated by tropical forests)—both factors that could put at risk, in the near future, most of the species studied. All of the species with restricted distribution in Veracruz showed a tendency to shrink in area, particularly the piñón (Pinus cembroides) and nuez de castilla (Juglans pyriformis), both of economic importance. In the face of land-use changes, conservation strategies must be designed in accordance with rational use and public policies that promote a sustainable management of wild edible fruits and the forests in which they grow.