# Affectation of COVID-19 pandemic on the use and abundance of wild resources in Tabasco, Mexico: A qualitative assessment

## TL;DR

The study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of wild resources in Tabasco, Mexico, likely due to rising unemployment.

## Contribution

The paper provides a qualitative assessment of how the pandemic affected wild resource use and abundance in a specific region.

## Key findings

- Wild resources were perceived as more abundant before the pandemic (57%) than during it (11%).
- High use of wild resources increased during the pandemic (28%) compared to low use (20%).
- Wild foods and timber were the most commonly used resources during the pandemic.

## Abstract

Southern Mexico is particularly rich in natural resources, yet unemployment has risen to 8% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of the pandemic on the use and abundance of Tabasco’s wild resources was examined through personal surveys. By using Microsoft Forms® with cell phones 1,963 surveys were collected. Cronbach’s alpha, Z-value, and chi2 were calculated using the MAXQDA Analytics Pro program. A higher abundance of wild resources before the pandemic than today (57% vs. 11%) was observed. During the pandemic, people referred more to a high use (28%) of resources than to a low use (20%). This caused the low abundance or scarcity of wild products to be greater during the pandemic than before the pandemic (43% vs. 4%). Wild foods and timber were the most used products. The pandemic has produced a greater use of natural resources probably due to the high unemployment rate in rural areas. Future studies of wild products should address the relevant products in the locality and their even sampling. Finding suitable respondents is highly recommended.