Diversity 2022, 14, 841. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14100841 www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity Article Conservation of Biocultural Diversity in the Huasteca Potosina Region, Mexico Mario del Roble Pensado-Leglise *, Salvador Luna-Vargas and Hilda Angélica Bustamante-Ramírez Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIEMAD, Director of Proy SIP 20221646, Mexico City 07340, Mexico * Correspondence: mpensado@ipn.mx Abstract: The Huasteca Potosina region has a relevant landscape heritage of biocultural diversity, due to high biological diversity and the presence of the Teenek (Huastec Mayan), Nahua, and Xi’iuy (Pame) ethnic groups. The object of this study is to analyze, among the different cultural groups of the region, how the performances of the relevant Socioecological Systems (SESs) influence the con- servation of biocultural diversity. Quantitative approaches are used to determine the expected trends of indices (Informant Consensus Factor, ICF; Cultural Importance Index, CII; Shannon–Wie- ner Biodiversity Index, SWI) commonly used in the ethnobotanical field. Data of the main domestic forest species used by the groups mentioned above were collected in 2021. We analyzed the SES profile for each of the ethnic groups and a mestizo group, as well as their relationship with the biome they mainly inhabit and the domestic functions fulfilled by the ethnobotanical species. As a result, we found that the low deciduous forest and the sub-evergreen tropical forest biomes, which co-evolved mainly with the Nahua and the Teenek SESs, present higher diversity and effective use of species so that offer better chances for conserving the landscape heritage of biocultural diversity. Otherwise, the results also show the critical nature regarding the biomes inhabited by the Pame and the mestizo’s SESs. Keywords: landscape heritage; biocultural diversity; socioecological systems; ethnobotany; Teenek; Nahua; Pame; informant consensus factor (ICF); cultural importance index (CII); Shannon–Wiener biodiversity index (SWI); Huasteca Potosina 1. Introduction The conservation of biocultural diversity in regions is fundamental for sustainable development and, over time, the necessary attention for the conservation of landscape heritage has been institutionalized (UNESCO, 1972) [1]. UNESCO (2001) proposed the broad concept of cultural diversity, encompassing the characteristics of a given society’s dynamic material behavior, traditions, customs, and moral values [2]. Cultural diversity is relevant when a variety of cultures foster the development of exchange and creativity of social groups, helping them to evolve and adapt to the environment. Cultural diversity is indispensable for reproducing human society and ecosystems in the face of constant variations in their aesthetic, biophysical, climatic, and anthropo- genic environments. It is also expressed in the body of knowledge and experiences gen- erated by human groups in the enjoyment, creation, and transformation of landscapes [3], which can be accumulated and preserved as a cultural, tangible, and intangible heritage. In this way, it is vital to understand the relationship between human social groups and the biomes they cohabit, in order to define how to conserve the landscape heritage of the biocultural diversity of a region or territory that explains the dynamics of Socioecological Systems (SES) embedded in a region. Biocultural landscape heritage must be based on a clear and defined socio-biocultural proposal, which is useful for the development of a regional sustainable development Citation: Pensado-Leglise, M.d.R.; Luna-Vargas, S.; Bustamante-Ramírez, H.A. Conservation of Biocultural Diversity in the Huasteca Potosina Region, Mexico. Diversity 2022, 14, 841. https://doi.org/10.3390/ d14100841 Academic Editors: Kalina Bermúdez Torres and Alonso Santos Murgas Received: 11 July 2022 Accepted: 29 September 2022 Published: 6 October 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neu- tral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institu- tional affiliations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Li- censee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and con- ditions of the Creative Commons At- tribution (CC BY) license (https://cre- ativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).