Conservation of natural resources within mature tropical Forests : how an indigenous community uses and manages wild plants in the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé, Panama
Date
2012
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Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, CA
Abstract
Concerns regarding the degradation of tropical forests and the indigenous
communities that rely on them have been growing for decades. However, the use of
wild plants and local efforts to manage them remain poorly understood. Using
participatory methods, this research examines the use and management of useful
wild plants from mature forests by a Ngöbe community in the forested highlands of
the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé in western Panama. Ethnobotanical information about
nine plants selected by the participants was obtained through a household survey,
interviews, focus groups and harvest trips. The findings show that that the use of
wild plants is gendered and varies between households, and that a variety of
management practices are used within the community, aimed at reducing the impacts
of harvesting. The study also identifies limitations of current management practices
for long-term sustainability, and highlights the necessity of basing conservation
strategies on local priorities for useful plants.
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Keywords
PANAMA--COMARCA NGOBE-BUGLE, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, FOREST MANAGEMENT, FORESTRY RESEARCH, ETHNOBOTANY, GENDER, TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, GOVERNANCE, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, DEFORESTATION, FOREST POLICY, RIGHT TO NATURAL RESOURCES CONTROL, ECOSYSTEMS