Abstract
In coastal and highland Peru, totora,Schoenoplectus californicus (C. A. Meyer) Soják (Cyperaceae), has played a central cultural role. Totora was used to build boats, houses, bridges, mats, containers, clothing, string, and fans and has been noted for its use as both food (for humans and livestock) and fertilizer. We conducted unstructured interviews in Spanish and followed participant observation methods in Huanchaco and Lake Titicaca located in coastal and highland Peru, respectively. We hypothesized that a plant with high saliency to the local culture would have a high level of associated indigenous conservation practices. In addition, the level of care and management should increase as the resource became more valued or increasingly scarce. We found that, despite a long established tradition of sustainable use, the people were increasingly relying on intensive cultivation of this plant. The value of totora to local residents justified the efforts spent in maintaining adequate supplies of this plant. Increases in population, politics, and yearly variation in climate patterns have created a reduction in available totora and contributed to an increase in management practices.
Resumen
La totora,Schoenoplectus californicus (C. A. Meyer) Soják (Ciperáceas) ha tenido un rol central y cultural en la costa y en la sierra del Perú. La totora ha sido utilizada para construir balsas, casas, puentes, esteras, cajas, cuerdas, y abanicos. También, se ha notado el uso de la totora como fuente de alimentación (para el hombre y el ganado) y fertilizante. Pronosticamos que una planta de gran importancia en la cultura local, estaría sumamente ligada con prácticas indígenas de conservación. Asimismo, pronosticamos que el nivel de cuidado y manejo de totora aumentaría si este recurso fuera más valorado o fuera disminuyendo paulatinamente. Realizamos entrevistas inestructuradas en Español e hicimos un seguimiento utilizando métodos de participación y observación en Huanchaco, Trujillo y en el Lago Titicaca, Puno. Encontramos que a pesar de que ha existido una larga tradición de uso sostenible de la totora, la gente ha incrementado su dependencia en la totora, intensificado su cultivo. Para los residentes locales, el valor de la totora, justifica los esfuerzos invertidos en mantener una adecuada reserva de esta planta. Pero el aumento de la población, los problemas politicos, y la variación anual de patrones climáticos, han creado una reducción en la disponibilidad de la totora y a su vez han contribuido al aumento de prácticas de manejo y conservación de la totora.
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Banack, S.A., Rondón, X.J. & Diaz-Huamanchumo, W. Indigenous cultivation and conservation of Totora (Schoenoplectus Californicus, cyperaceae) in Peru. Econ Bot 58, 11–20 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2004)058[0011:ICACOT]2.0.CO;2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2004)058[0011:ICACOT]2.0.CO;2