Indigenous perceptions of tree species abundance across an upper Amazonian landscape

6Citations
Citations of this article
49Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Indigenous cultures know a great deal about the landscape they inhabit, and their knowledge can be a valuable tool for ecologists. In order to explore how residents' knowledge might help characterize a large and diverse forest type in southeastern Peru, we asked plant experts of the local Cashinahua culture to predict whether the tree species recorded in a single 1-ha plot in upland forest were common on the surrounding landscape. We then compared their answers with data collected in four other 1-ha plots scattered over an area of about 7,000 km2. Cashinahua predictions matched tree plot data for 66% of the species examined. Species labeled as common by the Cashinahua included 9 of the top 11 most common species in the 5 plots and 39% of all trees in the plots. We discuss three obstacles to using local knowledge in large-scale vegetation studies: 1) the often-confusing relation between indigenous and Linnaean taxonomic nomenclature, 2) differing cultural conceptions of commonness and rarity, and 3) the limitations of describing tree species abundance via 1-ha tree plots. Where these limitations can be overcome, studies of large-scale vegetation patterns stand to benefit greatly from incorporating local knowledge of regionally abundant species. © 2011 Society of Ethnobiology.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Pitman, N. C. A., Cecilio, M. P., Pudicho, M. P., Graham, J. G., Núñez V., M. P., Valenzuela, M., & Terborgh, J. W. (2011). Indigenous perceptions of tree species abundance across an upper Amazonian landscape. Journal of Ethnobiology, 31(2), 233–243. https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-31.2.233

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free