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Declining Use of Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus subsp tatora) in Lake Titicaca

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Abstract

Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) is fast disappearing globally but the drivers of this loss are not fully understood. We present a a case study of how even long-standing and regulated forms of LEK are vulnerable to erosion as market forces spread to regions which have historically been peripheral to global markets.We consider changes in knowledge and use of a cultural keystone species, totora, in the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru around Lake Titicaca. Totora has been used for a variety of purposes and historically its cultivation and planting was regulated by village co-operative councils, called ayllus. We argue that a significant decline in the use of totora in the Altiplano along with the disappearance of the regulatory power of ayllus have primarily been driven by the integration of the Altiplano into the global market system, which has led to the replacement of totora with industrially manufactured goods, such as plastics and concrete. It has also undermined social bonds as individuals rather than the ayllu become the fundamental agents of economic decision-making.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated and analysed in this study are not publicly available because they constitute an excerpt of an ongoing research project, but are available from the corresponding author at a reasonable request.

Notes

  1. El sabor del queso de totora, que ya los jóvenes no comen.

  2. Los colchones viejos de totora eran más cómodos que los que compras ahora.

  3. Es mucho esfuerzo hacer cosas de totora, más fácil ir de compras en Puno.

  4. Cada uno controla su propria totora.

  5. Cada persona tiene su parcela de totora que lo contrala.

  6. Antes había cuando existía el ayllu.

  7. No se como se saca o se regula, lo compro.

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Funding

Author D. A. V. received funding from a Santander Travel Grant to do this fieldwork.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    D. A. Villar, Jorgelina Marino & Andrew G. Gosler

  2. School of Anthropology & Museum Ethnography, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Bastian Thomsen & Andrew G. Gosler

  3. Parque Nacional Bahuaje-Sonene, SERNANP, Puerto Maldonado, Perú

    Edwin R. Gutiérrez Tito

  4. Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, Puno, Perú

    Edwin R. Gutiérrez Tito & Edmundo G. Moreno Terrazas

  5. Aves Bolivianas, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

    Anahi C. Paca Condori

  6. Academia Nacional de Ciencia de Bolivia-Departamental Santa Cruz, Fundación Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

    Anahi C. Paca Condori

  7. Museo Nacional de Historia Nacional, Colección Boliviana de Fauna, La Paz, Bolivia

    Anahi C. Paca Condori & Paola Velásquez-Noriega

  8. Reserva Nacional del Titicaca, SERNANP, Puno, Perú

    Edilio Mamani & Mario Arivilca

  9. Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Andrew G. Gosler

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  1. D. A. Villar
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  2. Bastian Thomsen
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  3. Edwin R. Gutiérrez Tito
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  9. Jorgelina Marino
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Contributions

D. A. V. collected the data, came up with the idea of the study, analysed the data, and wrote the main manuscript. B. T. made extensive comments on the manuscript and helped write the manuscript E. R. G. T. helped collect data and facilitated fieldwork. A. C. P. C. helped collect data and facilitated fieldwork. P. V. N. helped collect data and made revisions to the main manuscript. E. M. helped collect data. M. A. helped collect data. E. G. M. T. made comments and revised the manuscript. J. M. made comments and revised the manuscript. A. G. G. made comments and revised the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. A. Villar.

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Villar, D.A., Thomsen, B., Gutiérrez Tito, E.R. et al. Declining Use of Totora (Schoenoplectus californicus subsp tatora) in Lake Titicaca. Hum Ecol 52, 1–14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-024-00478-5

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