Uso y Manejo de las Especies Sembradas en las Chagras de dos Comunidades Murui-Muinane de la Amazonia Colombia

Abstract

To identify the effects of transculturation on traditional swidden-fallow agriculture in the Amazon (basic unit: the chagra), a comparative study was undertaken in two communities of the ethnicity Murui-Muinane in the Colombian Amazon: San Rafael (far from any urban center) and Km. 11 (near the city of Leticia), where 14 and 11 chagras were sampled, respectively. Ethnobotanical walks and collections were carried out to document diversity and abundance of planted species (excluding weeds). In San Rafael and Km. 11, 129 and 91 species were found, respectively, and seven use categories were identified. Food was the most important category in both communities, followed by income (Km. 11) and medicine (San Rafael). Use of the salience and modified Byg & Balslev indices highlight differences in the species considered important by the two communities. The effects of transculturation on biodiversity and its uses are much greater in Km. 11 than in San Rafael.