Knowledge and Use Value of Plant Species in a Rarámuri Community: A Gender Perspective for Conservation

Abstract

We used a quantitative ethnobotanical approach to analyze factors influencing the use value of plant species among men and women of the Rarámuri people in Cuiteco, Chihuahua, Mexico. We constructed a use value index (UV) combining the use frequency (U) and the quality perception (Q) of useful plant species by local people. We identified all plant species used by the Rarámuri and classified them into 14 general use categories. We interviewed 34 households in the village to compare men and women's knowledge on the five main general use categories (and on their respective subcategories and specific uses), to document how they practice gathering activities and to calculate scores of plants UV. A total of 226 useful plant species were identified, but only 12% of them had high UV scores for the 42 specific uses defined. When the overall knowledge of plant species was examined, no significant differences were detected between men and women, but significant differences were identified in general use categories such as medicinal plants, plants for construction and domestic goods, but not in plants used as food and firewood. We identified a division of labor in gathering activities associated with gender, with women mainly gathering medicinal and edible plants and being involved in preparing medicines and food, whereas men were primarily gathering and using plants for manufacturing domestic goods, firewood, and building materials. Plant species UV associated to gender were significantly different between men and women at the level of specific uses in the general category of domestic goods and building. Frequency of use is highly associated with plant species quality perception.

Traditional Knowledge in a Rural Community in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil: Age and gender patterns and their implications for plant conservation

“…As pointed out by Kainer and Duryea (1992), males and females have different skills and knowledge about natural resources, usually as a direct result of set specific responsibili-341 ties within each household. Other studies highlight these variations in relation to the different roles that each one fulfills in society (Camou-Guerrero et al 2008, Momsen 2007, Voeks 2007. This study documented how the activities that males and females perform influence the knowledge and use of plants.…”

“…Thus, one can say that cultural knowledge of the use of a few species with high use value is widely shared within the community, suggesting that these species are often used , Ladio & Lozada 2009, Sop et al 2012. However, the use values can be dynamic and may decrease for some plants due to some generational interests or due to changes in the patterns of current use in the community (Camou-Guerrero et al 2008). Thus, the low use values reported for a group of species does not necessarily indicate that these are irrelevant in the daily life of the community; these results may indicate that the traditional knowledge of them is in danger of not being transmitted and may gradually disappear (Srithiet al 2009).…”

“…In the São Francisco community, traditional knowledge systems of useful plant species may exhibit intracultural variations mediated by factors such as age and gender that would be determinants in the perception of the local environment (Almeida et al 2012, Camou-Guerrero et al 2008, Dovie et al 2008, Souto & Ticktin 2012. There are clear differences in diversity of use between the youngest and oldest groups in the São Francisco community.…”

“…In this case, this pattern may have resulted from the acquisition of resources such as food and medicine, which constitute crucial practices of daily life, and basic activities for household subsistence are not necessarily divided between genders. Plant resources obtained from these activities are valued equally by males and females, while the plants used for more specific needs (e.g., manufacturing tools, fences) or important needs that require only sporadic actions (e.g., construction, house repair) are valued and performed differentially by males and females (Camou-Guerrero et al 2008). However, an interesting aspect of the gender analyses was that there is no statistical difference between elderly males and females (>62 years old).…”

“…Plants therefore play a fundamental role in these peoples' daily lives to satisfy different household needs such as food, fuel, medicines, fodder, and construction materials for domestic and rural buildings (Höft et al 1999, Sop et al 2012. As stated by Camou-Guerrero et al (2008), in any given community people do not use and value equally all plant species, so, recognizing the more relevant groups of plant species for local people may help to arrange priorities for implementing conservation and sustainable management strategies. However, traditional knowledge has not been properly examined in terms of its utility for supporting plans for biodiversity conservation (Dovie et al 2008).…”