Introduction: Ethnoecology

It is with great pleasure that we present to you this first special issue of the Journal of Latin American Geography (JLAG). This issue is the result of a special paper session we organized at the Antigua, Guatemala meeting of CLAG in May 2004. All the papers presented in that sessions are presented in this issue. We hope that this is the first of many special issues of JLAG.

The theme of our special paper session was Ethnoecology, a framework of analysis utilized explicitly or implicitly in all of the following papers. Ethnoecology is the study of the human appropriation of nature and has been defined as

"…an interdisciplinary approach that explores how nature is viewed by human groups through a screen of beliefs and knowledge, and how humans use their images to acquire and manage natural resources."

(Toledo 2002: 514)

There are three components to the ethnoecological framework, kosmos, corpus and praxis. All three of these operate together as people appropriate nature for their use. Kosmos is the belief system that guides natural resource management, corpus is the knowledge that underlies the appropriation of nature, and praxis is the actual practice of natural resource management. The variety of papers presented in this volume express the range of inquiry possible under the framework 'ethnoecology.' All the papers in this issue are rooted in people-environment geography and utilize cultural and political ecologic methodologies.

This issue begins with an article by Narciso Barrera-Bassols and Victor Toledo, 'The Ethnoecology of the Yucatec Maya: Symbolism, Knowledge and Management of Natural Resources.' Invoking the ethnoecological framework explicitly they explore how Yucatec Maya perceive, understand and utilize their natural resources. The article demonstrates how today's practices are solidly rooted in the past, and how resilient the Yucatec Maya are in this era of rapid change.

The second article by Maria Fadiman is entitled 'Cultivated Food Plants: Culture and Gendered Spaces of Colonists and the Chachi in Ecuador.' Maria's article illustrates the gendered nature of agricultural corpus and praxis, and how these differ among groups of people who occupy the same environment, but with very different socio-economic and historical experiences. This is a clear example of how an implicit use of the ethnoecologic framework can demonstrate the differences in the appropriation of natural resources.

The third article, by Eric Perramond, 'The Politics of Ecology: Local Knowledge and Wild Chili Collection in Sonora, Mexico,' illustrates the importance of socio-political context of natural resource use. Here we learn that the collection of a culturally valued plant becomes a political act as different groups quietly contest access to resources.

Next we move to Guatemala, with Steven Rainey's 'Folk Classification and Capability Assessment of Soils in Two Highland Guatemalan Municipios.' Steve illustrates the complex local soil knowledge systems that both indigenous Kaqchikel Maya and Ladino farmers possess. Both demonstrate the concepts of 'hot' and 'cold' soils and this has implications for agriculture and soil use in general.

Lastly, we turn our attention to the Brazilian Amazon with Antoinette WinklerPrins and Perpetuo de Sousa's 'Surviving the City: Urban Homegardens and the Economy of Affection in the Brazilian Amazon.' This article demonstrates how rural-urban migration is greatly facilitated by the reliance on urban homegarden food production and how urban and rural remain intertwined. Recent urban migrants, especially women, cultivate fruits, vegetables, ornamental and medical plants primarily for auto-consumption, both directly as well as indirectly as part of extensive gift exchange networks.

In making this issue possible we want to thank all the contributors who made it a priority to submit their papers to this issue of JLAG. We also want to thank David Robinson for his tremendous effort toward bringing this issue to life. He kept us on task and his expert editing skills help craft this issue and ensured its quality. We hope you enjoy the issue and find the research engaging and useful in your own teaching and scholarship.