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Coteco Biological Preserve
Tucson Audubon Society
This 62-acre reserve has been set aside for protection and conservation by the residents of Coteco, the members of the General Román Yocupicio Society of the Masiaca Indigenous Community, and the Tucson Audubon Society. The reserve, part of the local habitat called El Pitayal, features remarkably thick stands of pitayos (organpipe cacti, Stenocereus thurberi), one of the densest populations of columnar cacti in the world. The rich soils and frost-free environment of the coastal plain support a rich population of tropical and semi-tropical plants.
BackgroundThe Pitayal forest extends from roughly 10 miles to the north of Coteco to the Sinaloan border near Agiabampo, roughly 20 miles to the southeast. Since the mid-1960s, large portions of the cactus forest have been cleared for irrigated agriculture and pasture for livestock.
In 1999 discussions began between the cooperative owners of the land, Mayos of the General Román Yocupicio Society of the Masiaca Indigenous Community, and representatives of Tucson Audubon Society. All agreed that the abundance of succulent cactus fruit from the pitahayas and the natural values of the land warranted the protection of a site for study under controlled conditions. As a result, the socios (members) of Yocupicio Society provided the land and Tucson Audubon Society provided fencing material and start-up funds for the reserve. Significant funding for the Reserve has also been provided by the Wallace Research Foundation and the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona. Residents of Coteco oversee the Reserve and are participants in the scientific and economic studies. Biological studies are directed by the Instituto de Ecología of Mexico’s National Autonomous University.
The reserve was established in 2000 to
protect part of the remarkable vegetation of the Pitayal and its outstanding fauna and
flora. The site will also be used as an cooperative education center for alternative,
sustainable use of natural resources, as a biological research station, and as controlled
setting for pilot studies for harvesting and marketing pitaya fruits.
Why Save the Pitayal?
The pitayos, called aaqui by Mayos, produce millions of fruits (called
pitayas)
each year beginning in mid-July through late September and are an important food source
for the Mayo people of the region. Most of the golfball-sized lemon-sized? fruits
are dark red, but some are purple, and others white. Some of the fruits are harvested by
local residents and consumed in the at home, while some are marketed in nearby
cities. However, most of the annual crop remains in the field as a key food source
for wildlife—insects, birds, reptiles and mammals, and great numbers of fruits rot on
the cactus and on the ground. Such is the abundance that many fruits rot. Many
of these could be collected and processed into jams and dried into a delectable
pitaya seca, providing a sustainable source of employment and income for residents of the
Pitayal. The pitayos continue to produce without the need of fertilizers or
insecticides, as they have for millions of years.
In addition to its importance as a food source, scientists recognize the Pitayal as one of the world’s richest semi-arid ecosystems, notable both for the astounding density of pitayos and the rich diversity of plant and animal life. We believe that a short hike through the Reserve will convince you of the value of this habitat.
Plants and Animals of the
Pitayal
More than 800 species of plants have been identified from the Pitayal, more than in all of
Great Britain. In addition to the pitayos, there are numerous etchos (Pachycereus
pecten-aborginum), large columnar cacti with edible fruits covered with hairy
bristles. Etchos and pitayos are also an important source of lumber for nearby residents,
as their fences demonstrate. Other cacti include the barrel cactus, (biznaga, hónore
in Mayo, Ferocactus herrerae) that resembles a small barber’s pole, and the
odd, leafed cactus jejeri (Pereskiopsis porteri) that snakes through the
underbrush. Prickly pears (nopales, nabos in Mayo) as well as numerous
small, unusual cacti are also found. The most common leafy trees are saituna (báis
cápora in Mayo, Ziziphus amole), a craggy tree up to 20 feet tall, with
round leaves and edible fruits. The jito (Forchhammeria watsonii)
resembles an ancient olive tree, with long, narrow leaves. The fruits of the female
tree are eaten and the trees are valued for the shade they provide. More then 30 species
of trees are to be found nearby. Frequently seen is the massive storage root of the güerequi
(cahuorara in Mayo, Ibervillea sonorae), which sends a tiny vine a small
climber growing through the adjacent shrubbery, producing plum-sized orange fruits in the
fall. The tuber is widely used for medicinal purposes. Also noticeable is the strange
candelilla (cántela oguo in Mayo, Pedilanthus macrocarpus), whose
candle-like shoots with reddish flowers exude a poisonous milky sap when scratched. Guides
from Coteco can identify most of the plants found within the Reserve.
Ospreys and white-fronted parrots are especially common in the area. Kiskadees can commonly be heard in the early mornings, along with white-winged doves, Gila woodpeckers, and mockingbirds. In densely vegetated areas chachalacas, a pheasant-like bird, and coas (elegant trogon) are often heard. Natives can help identifying bird songs. Common mammals include foxes, possums, badgers, white-tailed deer, and occasional armadillos. Rattlesnakes are sometimes seen, but their numbers are much reduced.
While livestock grazing is not permitted within the Reserve, many cows, burros and goats find sustenance throughout unfenced portions of the cactus forest. Bees—domestic and wild—produce local honey that is highly valued by local residents.
Knowledgeable Spanish and Mayo-speaking guides are available in Coteco. Entrance into the reserve without permission from members of the Yocupicio Society is prohibited. A small entrance fee is charged. While collecting fruit is permitted within the Reserve, no plant or animal materials of any kind is permitted. Please help keep the Reserve litter-free.
If you wish to contribute to the Reserve, to support the biological and marketing studies as well as the expansion of the protected areas, tax-free contributions can be sent to Tucson Audubon Society, 300 East University Blvd, Tucson, Arizona, 85705 U. S.A. In Mexico, contributions can be made directly to the Sociedad Gral. Yocupicio in Coteco or Mexican tax-free to the Instituto de Ecología, UNAM, UNAM, Blvd. Colosio y Sahuaripa, Hermosillo, Sonora 83000, México.
Pitahayal
Project Update - New $5,000 Grant
Last month’s cover article, “A TAS Reserve in Mexico!” was written
by David Yetman, TAS Board member and the Associate Research Social Scientist of U. of
A.’s Southwest Center. David described the involvement of TAS in the establishment of
the a 62-acre organ pipe cactus preserve in Sonora, Mexico. Recently, the project has
received a $5,000 grant from the Wallace Research Foundation.
In July, David provided the village of Coteco with two metal signs which state in Spanish: “Coteco Biological Reserve. No entrance without the permission of the General Román Yocupicio Society. A collaboration of Coteco and Tucson Audubon Society.” The barbed wire and fence around the reserve will be constructed with 600 wooden fence posts and two access gates. Because they wanted to better control access to grazing, the villagers decided to purchase more fencing material rather than using funds for the school as initially anticipated.
Funds from the Wallace Research Foundation will be used to create a bilingual brochure that will explain the Pitahayal, the nature of the reserve, and the role of the village. The brochure will also list some of the more prominent plants in the Pitahayal region and will be distributed at TAS, in Alamos, and in Coteco.
David, Lucia Sayre (member of the TAS Board and the Southside Food Production Network), and Jeff Banister (assistant editor of the Southwest Center’s Journal of the Southwest), are planning to return to Coteco in mid-September to meet with the villagers to discuss the project and plan with them the further steps to be taken. At that time, about $860 US ($8,000 pesos) will be paid to the General Román Yocupicio Society for not grazing in the fenced parcel. Part of the project will also include a minimal ecological education for the children and adults of the village; Lucia will be working on this aspect. David hopes to obtain a larger grant from a source other than TAS for sustaining and expanding the project.
The Pitahayal: A TAS Reserve in
Mexico!
by David Yetman
(July-August, 2000, Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter)
Many years ago, during my long-term biological and community development studies of the Mayo region of southern Sonora Mexico, I came upon the densest cactus forest in the world along the coast of southern Sonora, some 425 miles southeast of Tucson. Here organ pipe cacti (Stenocereus thurberi), known locally as pitahayas, grow on the coastal flats in immense numbers — often in excess of 300 plants per acre. This cactus forest is known in the region as the Pitahayal (pronounced pee-tah-YAL). For centuries the native Mayos have harvested millions of fruits each August and September, and have relied on the plants for beams for their homes, slats for their fences, and a myriad of other uses.
In the last decade agricultural interests have begun clearing the forest for irrigation schemes (often bogus) and planting buffelgrass to improve livestock forage. More than half of the Pitahayal has been cleared, and more clearing is planned. I brought this problem to the attention of the other board members of TAS, and they agreed to address this loss by entering into an agreement with the small village of Coteco within the Masiaca Indigenous Community (a large communally-owned tract) to establish a nature preserve. The preserve will be the first in the region.
In May, I met with members of the community to explain the project. I presented them with two metal signs announcing the reserve and noting that this will be a joint effort of Coteco and Tucson Audubon Society. TAS has provided funds for fencing 62 acres. The fence will be completed prior to the arrival of summer rains, so that new plant growth will be protected from trampling and gnawing by livestock. (Funds will also be used to compensate the members of the communal group that controls the land for the loss of forage for their goats, sheep, cows, and burros.)
TAS funds will also be used to support educational programs in the Coteco primary school, so that children and their parents will come to view the fenced area as their reserve and a key asset to their community. Villagers will also be paid to monitor the fence and prevent trespassing. Ultimately our task will be to educate the people of Coteco, and especially the children, about the importance of protecting the Pitahayal, which is a national treasure.
Biological studies within the reserve will provide critical information about the biology of organ pipe cacti and the huge variety of other plants and animals that frequent the region. Scientists from Mexico’s National Autonomous University will be involved in conducting ecological studies within the reserve. The villagers will continue to harvest pitahayas (organ pipe fruits) in the reserve. As a community project, they will assist our research by weighing all the fruits they harvest and noting the amounts in notebooks we provide.
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This page was updated on 12/28/05