The research for my PhD thesis is basically the continuation of a project titled ‘Applied Ethnobotany for the phytochemical-pharmacological evaluation of Bolivian plants: a multidisciplinary approach’ which was carried out by Ina Vandebroek from 1st of July 2000 until 30th of June 2002. My engineer thesis formed part of the first implementation phase of this project and included an inventory of medicinal plants and the use of remedies based on these plants by Bolivian healers to treat more than 20 different ailment categories. The medicinal application of plants is however but one aspect of the multi-purpose use of this genetically diverse resource. Non-Timber forest products (NTFPs), defined as all wild plant and animal products harvested from the forest or other natural and "man man-made" vegetation types of, except for industrial timber exploitation (Ros-Tonen et al., 1995), have a high value and especially so for traditional living societies. NTFPs fulfil a central role in the existence economy of traditional communities under the form of nutrition, shelter, clothing, fuel, construction material, medicines, animal food... (Principe, 1991). Ethnobotanists have, historically seen, always catalogued the ways people use plants. This inventory is still far from complete and that in a time in which the destruction of natural habitat with high bio-diversity and the inherent loss of traditional cultures, as well as their botanic and ecological knowledge, has reached a never earlier seen speed linked, (Prance, 1991; Lewington, 1993; Joyal, 1996; Etkin, 1998; Cox, 2000; Conservation international, 2001). Ecologists emphasise on the other hand with increasing insistence that biological conservation and the management of ecosystems require a human dimension to be successful (Mangel et al., 1996; Carpenter and Turner, 1998; Lubchenco, 1998; Kimmerer, 2000; Turner, 2000; Eghenter, 2000; Thomson, 2000; Colding and Folke, 2001). In this respect a number of authors (Posey, 1992; Hall and Bawa, 1993; Rodriguez-Navarro, 2000; Mauro and Haridson, 2000) point out the need to involve traditional communities that depend on a large variety of plant- and animal species, directly in the sustainable exploitation and conservation of tropical bio-diversity. Etkin (1998) and WWF (1998) go even still a step further: according to them local efforts have a larger chance on success if they take into account traditional ecological knowledge of, and experience with plant varieties.
This research aims at a detailed study into the culture-nature-protection (conservation) area, in the department Cochabamba (Bolivië). The main objectives of the research are:
The research takes place in two different ecosystems: on the one hand in Apillapampa, a campesino (peasant) community lain in the Bolivian Andes and on the other side five Trinitario and Yuracare communities of the National Park Isiboro Secure (tropical rain forest of Chapare, in the Bolivian lowland).
The research methodology consists of the following parts:
Vegetable diversity by means of transect data
From of January 2003 up to April 2003 twenty-nine transects of fifty by two square meters were established and systematically sampled. All plant species growing higher than ten centimetres (excluded Poaceae)) (in this report further indicated with "plants > 0.1") were inventoried with annotation of their number of prevalence. The height of woody plant species was moreover measured. Plant species which fell outside this category (therefore Poaceae or plants growing smaller than ten centimetres), but are known, either by name, or because of a certain use and/or application were also incorporated in the inventory.
At each of these transects environmental parameters were exhaustively noted down (degree of erosion, disturbance, slope, exposition, soil depth...) as well as the accessibility, expressed as travel time from the village of Apillapampa, to examine which factor has the largest influence on the vegetable bio-diversity (using Principal Components and Redundancy analysis - PCA resp. RDA). This period was therefore especially focussed on botanical and ecological aspects of the research, basically because most (and especially herbs) plants grow and flower during and after the rainy season. During the period from august to October 2003 seven extra transecten were sampled. As this period fell straight into the dry season, only woody plant species were taken into account, as these are the only species that can be recognised with certainty. Thus the analysis was carried out on the one hand on all plants > 0.1 and on the other side on a group of only woody plant species.
For each transect the diversity index of Shannon (H) which takes into account both number of species (richness) and number of individuals (evenness) within a given sampling surface, was calculated. This index was calculated for both plants > 0.1 and woody plant species. The diversity (both Shannon and alpha (α), i.e. number of different plant species) was evaluated in function of altitude above sea level and travel time by means of regression analysis. Travel time to the sampling sites is used as a parameter for the accessibility of that site. Given the mountainous nature of the research area this is a more realistic parameter than distance. Along rather horizontal roads for example larger distances can be covered as compared to climbing a mount path in given time lap. A number of the provisional most important results (with as altitude range: 2850-3750 m.a.s.l.) include:
The most represented families are: Asteraceae (25%), Fabaceae (8%), Poaceae (7.5%), Solanaceae (5.3%), Lamiaceae (3,3%) and Scrophulariaceae (2.4%). These proportions are in conformity with earlier Bolivian floristic inventories in the ecosystem to which the research area belongs.
Of all collected plant species a specimen (with label) is deposited in the herbaria of both Cochabamba and La Paz. About twenty "problematic plant species" were sent to relevant specialists worldwide for identification. So far with certainty three new - i.e. species that were not described before - were collected (Philibertia nov. sp., Asclepiadaceae; Aeschynomene nov sp., Fabaceae; Dioscorea nov. sp., Dioscoreaceae). There is high probability (according the first responses of botanic specialists) that the inventory includes two more new species types of which extra material must be collected (one unknown species of the Malvaceae, and one Cardenanthus sp. (Iridaceae)).
Anthropological
Within the given time span twelve informants (four women, one child and seven men) were questioned by means of semi-structured ethnobotanical interview. These interviews were mainly carried out during the dry season, as at that moment most plants are absent at above-ground-level or in vegetative state which leaves less collection options. Systematically all collected plant species were shown to each informant (an average of 16 hours effectively interviewing per person). The questionnaire consists out of twenty questions with sub-chapters from which eight basic questions can be identified. Where appropriate these eight questions were discussed in more detail by means of the more specific questions the list. Based on the as such gathered ethnobotanical information the collected plants could be classified in a total of more than 20 use - or application categories (e.g. nutrition & beverage, fuel, construction, medicine, hygiene, spiritual value, etc.). More than 150 substantial uses/applications (e.g. make cheese, keeping ants away from crops, baskets) were registered.
