Etnobotánica de los Chácobo (Beni, Bolivia)

About this book

Language: Spanisn

Etnobotánica de los Chácobo is a translation of the publication: Boom, B. 1996. Ethnobotany of the Chácobo Indians, Beni, Bolivia. Advances in Economic Botany, Volume 4. Second Edition.

Translated by Rainer W. Bussmann & Narel Paniagua Zambrana. Comparative comments were included on the basis of the field work carried out in October of 2010, by the same investigators as part of the project PALMS

In 1988 Brian Boom presented the results of his ethnobotanical study of the Amazonian Chácobo community in Bolivia, including information of the community’s history and current political situation. The original study covered 5 months of plant collecting and interviews in the community of Alto Ivon where they registered a total of 360 species of vascular plants (221 genera, 79 families). Of these 305 species (197 genera, 75 families (were utilized by the Chácobo. In one hectare of forest, 82% of the species and 95% of the individual trees are utilized by the Chácobo for food, fuel, shelter, medicine, poisons, and other useful products.

This ethnoecological study, Etnobotánica de los Chácobo, supports the thesis that forest destruction goes further than the mere cutting down of trees – it can result in the permanent loss of valuable information about plants and indigenous cultures.

Customer Reviews