Diversity of use and local knowledge of palms (Arecaceae) in eastern Amazonia

Abstract

Ethnobotanical information can clarify how dependent a community is on local plant resources and provide evidence about the consequences of resource exploitation. We performed a quantitative analysis on different aspects of knowledge and use of palms by the residents of the surrounding the Tucuruí Hydroelectric Power Station reservoir, eastern Amazonia, and their relationship with socioeconomic factors, adopting the methodology of consensus among informants. We based the study on accidental sampling of the 232 families and data were gathered through semi-structured forms. We evaluated correlations between the effective use and importance of species and the effect of socioeconomic factors on the knowledge and use of palms as cited by the informants. Informants know 27 species of palms and use 20 of these in eight different categories, the main ones being for food, utensils and construction. The species most widely used and cited as most important were Attalea speciosa, Oenocarpus bacaba, Euterpe oleracea, A. maripa and Socratea exorrhiza. For the informants, the value of a palm species is directly related to the different types of uses that it offers. The knowledge about palms is greater among farmers than fishermen and, when considering the medicinal aspect, it is greater among women than among men.

Healing Animals, Feeding Souls: Ethnobotanical Values at Sacred Sites in Central Italy

“…To assess how frequently the species inventoried are associated with ethnobotanical uses, we calculated a "use frequency" summary, loosely mirroring the metrics of "cultural value of ethnospecies" elaborated by Reyes-García et al (2006), and "use value" proposed by Byg and Balslev (2001) and Araujo and Lopes (2012). We defined one use record as the association of one species with one use category at one study site.…”

Satellite Images Combined with Field Data Reveal Negative Changes in the Distribution of Babassu Palms after Clearing off Amazonian Forests

“…It covers a vast amount of land, an estimated 200,000 km² (May et al 1985). The species has been observed in 13 Brazilian states (Anderson et al 1991;Henderson et al 1995;Shiraishi-Neto 1999;Rufino et al 2008;Araújo and Lopes 2012). In Brazil, the babassu palm is frequently exploited.…”

Knowledge, Use, and Management of the Babassu Palm (Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng) in the Araripe Region (Northeastern Brazil)

“…There is no overall consensus in the literature regarding a significant relationship between age and knowledge, with certain authors reporting a positive relationship (Araújo and Lopes 2012;Zambrana et al 2007) in which older individuals possess greater knowledge and others reporting that older individuals do not always have a higher level of knowledge (Balslev et al 2010;Byg and Balslev 2004). The lack of consensus on the relationship between age and knowledge indicates that decisions regarding resource management should be given greater attention.…”