125 

 Methods 

 Study Area 



The study took place at Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos, Quintana Roo, Mexico, during 1989-1990 

 (total area = 552.95 km^ Figure 2-1). Animal censuses were conducted specifically during March- 

 November 1990 and centered around the village of X-HazU Sur (19°23'30"N, 88°05'00"W; population 

 = 1,040), the largest of three villages on the ejido (total population = 1,680; see Chapter 2 for 

 additional information about ejido s). The mean annual temperature is about 26 °C and the area typically 

 has one dry season (December-May) and one wet season (June-November). Rainfall during 1 January- 

 12 December 1990 was 1,277.3 mm (Figure 2-4). About 88.52% of the ejido was categorized as Late 

 Secondary Forest, 6.07% as Plots & Gardens, 5.18% as Early Secondary Forest, and 0.23% as Other 

 (Combined/Early Secondary Forest = 11.5%; Table 2-3). Since about 1915 the area has been 

 occupied by Maya Indians, whose main subsistence activity has been shifting cultivation, primarily 

 com. Prior to 1915, Maya Indians did not occur in the area. 



Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos was selected as the study area for several reasons: One, ejido 

 residents practiced garden hunting and were amenable to participating in a study of the game they 

 killed. Two, ejido residents practiced shifting cultivation in an area that had Late Secondary, 

 intermediate, and Combined/Early Secondary Forests. This facilitated comparisons where differences 

 due to actors such as soils, weather, and patterns of anthropogenic activities would be minimal. 



Line Transects 



Wildlife densities were determined by censuses along 12 line transects (cf. , Eisenberg et al., 

 1979; Emmons, 1984, 1987; Glanz, 1982) during March-November 1990. Transects were thoroughly 

 cleared of brush during September 1989-February 1990 to facilitate sightings. Nine transects had die 

 planned length of 2 km each (Figure 4-1; Appendix H). Two transects were shorter (at 1600 m and 

 1960 m) due to unexpected changes in the vegetation before reaching a length of 2 km. One transect 

 was longer (at 2130 m) to compensate for the two shorter transects. Each transect was 1 m wide; 



