Since its inception, ethnobotanical conservation has sought to preserve the knowledge of plants that has grown in societies over millennia. Nowhere is the need more acute for ethnobotanical conservation than in areas like northwestern South America, where cultural diversity co-occurs with biodiversity hotspots and wilderness areas, but suffering imminent extinction risks.
During my Doctoral research I documented and analyzed the use patterns and traditional knowledge of palms (Arecaceae) in northwestern South America. My thesis was based on field data collected during >18 months, in four countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia), three ecoregions (Amazon, Andes, Chocó), three human groups (indigenous, mestizos, afro-americans), 55 Amerindian groups, 68 communities and 2201 informants. This research was undertaken under the supervision of Dr. Manuel J. Macía (http://botanicauam.es/personal/profesores-manuel-j-macia/), of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and was part of the FP7-PALMS project (www.fp7-palms.org). All results from my Doctoral research are available in the ‘Publications’ section of this website. More scientific papers, books and book chapters will soon be published!