• Abstract

•  rahim.foroughbakhchpr@uanl.edu.mx

True solutions to the problems of arid and semiarid zones throughout the world require a mandatory previous evaluation of the natural resources from the study areas. Our main approach is driven to the structure and functioning of the vegetal ecosystems which intimately involves various interrelated elements such as flora, cattle, and other fauna, taking also into account management and commercialization of wooden and non-wooden products. Structurally, a great part of the semiarid ecosystems is composed of wooden shrubs somehow called “matorral” or thornscrub growing under diverse climatic conditions all over from stony or rocky soils, saline and non-saline areas with accelerated erosion to areas located at the base of the mountains (Palacios, 2000). This type of vegetation is characterized by the occurrence of diverse structures (Follett, 2001), biological forms and floristic diversity (WWF, 2001)………..