Oftentimes, medicinal plant habitat conservation is considered to be closely related to the goals of forest conservation, especially in the tropics. Preliminary data from the municipality of Tenejapa suggests that this might not be the case for Highland Chiapas, Mexico. Ethnobotanical data were collected for the 40 most utilized medicinal plants based on a 10 year project that resulted in 2241 responses for this municipality. The distribution of these plants throughout Tzeltal Maya classifications of ecological zones was solicited. Only a small percentage of these plants are reported to appear in forested areas. They mainly show up in secondary growth ruderal contexts. Selection of medicinal plants by the Tzeltal Maya shows a strong preference for disturbed habitats. Many of these preferred plants appear after land is left in fallow for several years. The amount of time that land is left in fallow is being reduced due to increased reliance on fertilizers that allows for a shorter swidden cycle. This indicates that the habitat for many of these medicinal plants is being lost. The implications of this in relation to larger issues of environmental conservation and primary health care are discussed.

Key words: Chiapas, Highland Maya, medical ethnobotany, Mexico