The Role of Women in the Forest Conservation in a Mexican National Park: Pruning Firs for the Manufacture of Christmas Wreaths.

National Parks in Mexico are home to small communities. Whereas productive activities are by definition prohibited within park limits, restoration and conservation practices are encouraged. One way to benefit the inhabitants of these parks is to promote conservation practices that can be productive at the same time. This paper describes and evaluates the practice of regular pruning of Abies religiosa (HBK) in the Cofre de Perote National Park as both a measure to prevent forest fires and a means to obtain the raw material for the manufacturing of Christmas wreaths. Under the guidance of our university research team, over a period of 3 years, local women pruned trees over a total area of 36 ha and used part of the pruning waste (2.71 %) to make the wreaths. The income generated from pruning and from sale of the wreaths contributes significantly to household expenses. We describe the collaboration between the local Women's Group, the academic team, a federal government agency and the local authorities. The study concludes that the laws regulating national parks in Mexico should specifically stress the importance of allowing productive activities compatible with conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]