Abstract

AGUIRRE MENDOZA, Zhofre; RIVERA MORAN, María Esthela  and  GRANDA MOSER, Vanesa. Non-timber forest products from the dry forests of Zapotillo, Loja, Ecuador. Arnaldoa [online]. 2019, vol.26, n.2, pp.575-594. ISSN 1815-8242.  http://dx.doi.org/10.22497/arnaldoa.262.26204.

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are important in the local economy, their use is a viable alternative for the management and conservation of forests, serving as a motivating activity for communities to value the forest economically, socially and environmentally. The NTFPs were investigated in five rural communities of the Zapotillo Canton, with the purpose of knowing the non-timber forest products of vegetable origin, traditional and current uses and the tendency of the generational loss of knowledge in these communities. A survey was applied to 255 inhabitants of the five communities using a form with 11 questions, which was used to collect information on the knowledge and uses of plants that provide NTFPs. The use of 87 plant species that provide NTFPs is reported, within 82 genera and 61 families, distributed among 31 trees, 38 shrubs and 18 herbs. The best known NTFP categories are: food and beverages, human medicine and fodder. The most commonly used species in the studied communities are Bursera graveolens, Eriotheca ruizii and Tecoma castanifolia. Older adults know more about the use of the species, due to their relationship with the forest and family traditions; adults recognize and use little, and young people are not aware or do not want to accept that they know and do not use them; men and women know plants equally. In the forests of Zapotillo there are species that provide NTFP, the local adult population knows its use, the use is scarce, which causes the generational loss of knowledge.

Keywords : rural communities; Zapotillo; ethnobotany; use value; significant use level.

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