Plant use and management in homegardens and swiddens: evidence from the Bolivian Amazon

Abstract

Amazonian plant management is perhaps nowhere as intense as in homegardens and swiddens. A quantitative ethnobotanical study was conducted in Indigenous Territory and National Park IsiboroSécure, Bolivia, to investigate plant use and management in homegardens and swiddens by local Yuracaré and Trinitario ethnic groups. Ethnobotanical data of plants were obtained from 11 Yuracaré and 11 Trinitario participants through semistructured interviews. A total of 151 different cultivated or tolerated species was recorded, accounting for 21% of all inventoried plants considered useful to local Yuracarés and Trinitarios. The local use value of managed plants is almost twice that of wild plants. Managed plants score particularly higher than wild plants for medicinal, food and material applications. Most managed plants are herbs, followed by trees and shrubs. Nevertheless, managed trees have significantly higher overall use values than all other life forms. Managed trees tend to be particularly more appreciated as sources of food and materials, whereas herbaceous plants generally have a higher therapeutic value. Our results support observations made in literature that moderately humanized landscapes, and homegardens and swiddens in particular, are an important source of food and healing for forest people. Although people generally start managing plants in homegardens and swiddens because of their perceived usefulness, they are also favourable locations to experiment with the usefulness of (managed or wild) plants prevailing there. This particularly accounts for medicinal plants and it is argued that the use of managed plants in traditional medicine relates to (1) the high intensity of contact with theses species, and (2) their chemical defence strategy. To conclude, a number of policy recommendations are presented.

Multipurpose function of home gardens in the family subsistence

“…The benefi t that owners derive from home gardens impacts the decisions made regarding resource management, similar to the fi ndings reported by Thomas and Van Damme (2010). Therefore, plant management in home gardens is common in indigenous communities in both Bolivia and Tilzapotla.…”

“…These decisions are related to the needs the plants fulfi ll and the human cultural importance attributed to the plants ( Thomas and Van Damme, 2010). Not all plants receive the same attention.…”

A floresta é o domus: a importância das evidências arqueobotânicas e arqueológicas das ocupações humanas amazônicas na transição Pleistoceno/Holoceno

“…Balée (1989Balée ( , 2010 afirma que as modificações florísticas feitas por populações sedentárias ao redor de suas casas e quintais revelam uma transformação paisagística de alto grau. Dentro de quintais indígenas, tem sido documentada diversidade de espécies úteis em alta densidade (Balée, 1994;Posey, 1985;Van Damme, 2010). Observa-se, similarmente, em levantamentos com comunidades rurais atuais nos arredores dos sítios arqueológicos com terra preta, que a floresta exibe alto grau de agrobiodiversidade (Junqueira et al, 2010(Junqueira et al, , 2011.…”

Plant Diversity in Homegardens and Their Use Value in Two Villages of Rupandehi District, Western Nepal

“…Plants with a tree habit are more likely to be managed for their overall and food usefulness, whereas herbs are more popular as medicines. The fact that trees possess the highest mean overall use value of all managed life forms is basically due to their more complex habit and multipurpose nature, apart from fulfilling human needs for food and medicine they also contribute considerably as sources of materials and fuel (Thomas and Damme 2010). Of all the services provided, the most important use of trees is for food (mostly fruits).…”