Local ecological knowledge of forage plants for goat farming and perceptions about pollination of tree species in the arid Chaco

MARQUEZ, VICTORIA; CARBONE, LUCAS; JIMENEZ-ESCOBAR, DAVID; BRITOS, ANDRÉS HORACIO; AGUILAR, RAMIRO; ZAMUDIO, FERNANDO

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2024

0140-1963

Local ecological knowledge of forage resources available in the forest that local producerspossess plays an important role in the sustainability of peasant extensive grazing systems in thearid Chaco. Here, we document goat farming management strategies of local peasants, assesstheir local ecological knowledge about forage plants and evaluate the local perception relatedto pollination of native tree species. We used semi-structured interviews to obtainethnobiological information and a cognitive approach to inquire about the plant speciesconsidered as fodder and their relative importance. Peasants listed a total of 48 ethnospecies(60 species from 23 botanical families) used as fodder. The most important forage plants in ourstudy were Neltuma spp., Sarcomphalus mistol and Castella coccinea, which provide highquality fruits and also leaves as forage at different moments of the year. Local producers didnot identify pollination as a key factor for the production of forage fruits, but they didemphasize the importance of climatic factors for fruit production. This ethnoecologicalinformation related to forage plants and factors that determine fruit production is important tounderstand peasant management systems that sustain local communities and play an importantrole in forest persistence.