Ethnobotany of babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart.) in the Tucuruí Lake Protected Areas Mosaic - eastern Amazon

Abstract

Documenting the ethnobotanical knowledge of populations living in protected areas is important both for science and for the eff ective conservation of these areas, as it can help to clarify the level of dependency that human communities have on local plant resources. Babassu (Attalea speciosa, Arecaceae) is one of the most important non-timber forest resources of rural communities in the Amazon. We explored the ethnobotanical knowledge and uses of babassu by riverine populations inhabiting the Tucuruí Lake Protected Areas Mosaic in the eastern Amazon, by examining the diversity, purposes and descriptions of its uses and aspects of its extraction. Data were collected in 2010 and 2014 from 193 families. A total of 1,226 use records were cited representing 60 diff erent uses. Records were classifi ed into nine use-categories; utensils and tools was the most important category, followed by construction and human food. Th e use with the greatest purpose consensus value among the informants was thatch. Babassu proved to be an important resource for the livelihood of the local communities in providing shelter, food and reliable energy. Most informants lacked knowledge about sustainable practices and management of this resource.

Revisiting Amazonian Plants for Skin Care and Disease

“…The species is widespread and economically important, especially in Maranhão, a state in northeastern Brazil. The fruit is exploited as an energy source, food, or medicine, while the seeds obtained by manual breaking of the fruit are transformed into oil [2][3][4].…”

“…Populations inhabiting the Tucuruí Lake Protected Areas in the eastern Amazon use the oil for skin infections, myiasis, and mycosis. In addition, they use it as hair moisturizing agent, and, curiously, the oil from the beetle Pachymerus nucleorum larva, which develops inside the seed of the coconut, is also used for the same purpose [4].…”

Population structure and fruit availability of the babassu palm ( Attalea speciosa Mart. ex Spreng) in human-dominated landscapes of the Northeast Region of Brazil

“…In Brazil, local human populations heavily harvest the fruits and leaves of babassu palm, Attalea speciosa, for human and animal food, as well as for artisanal, construction, medicinal, cosmetic and commercial purposes, mainly in the North and Northeast regions of the country (Balick 1984;Rufino et al 2008;Souza et al 2011;González-Pérez et al 2012;Campos et al 2015;Araújo et al 2016). This species can occur isolated in forests or in areas used for agriculture or pasture, and is considered a pioneer and dominant species in anthropically altered areas because it is an efficient colonizer (Ribeiro & Walter 1998;Mitja & Ferraz 2001).…”

Mazri (Nannorrhops ritchiana (Griff) Aitch.): a remarkable source of manufacturing traditional handicrafts, goods and utensils in Pakistan

“…In Arabic language, it is called Ghadaf or Sa'f [22]; Mazri palm in English [27]; Merez in Afghani Pashto [43]; Patha in Balochistani Pashto [23]; Mazri in Saraiki [18]; Purk in Persian [44]; Daz in Balochi [24]; Mezaray in Malakand, Swat, Dir, Bajaur, and Mardan ares were Pashto is spoken [16]; Mazara in the Bannu Pashto [15]; and Mazarai in South Waziristan Pashto [13]. The palm family is one of the richest families in terms of fiber-producing plants and several researchers reported a broad variety of uses of different palm taxa in different wolrdwide regions; for example, [37] reported that the natives of Tucurui Lake in the Eastern Amazon use Attalea speciosa (Babassu) palm for utensils, tools, human food, animal fodder, construction, fuel, and medicines. Uses of Attalea speciosa reflects similarities to our findings linked to Nannorrhops ritchiana in the current study.…”

“…Data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively for having a pattern of use of Mazri palms among the various ethnic groups considered in both focus groups. Uses of different items prepared from Mazri palm in the areas from where it was collected and the regions from where its use was documented during the market survey were arranged in a table [37,38].…”