Factors Affecting Traditional Medicinal Plant Knowledge of the Waorani, Ecuador

Holger Weckmüller, Carles Barriocanal, Roser Maneja and Martí Boada
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Holger Weckmüller: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
Carles Barriocanal: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
Roser Maneja: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
Martí Boada: Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici C Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 16, 1-12

Abstract: This paper explores how medicinal plant knowledge of the Waorani (Ecuador) varies with socio-economic and demographic factors. Medicinal plant knowledge was compared at individual and community levels. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 56 informants (men N= 29, women N= 27) between 15 and 70 years old in five Waorani communities located within the Yasuní National Park and Waorani Ethnic Reserve. We found a positive correlation between an informant’s medicinal plant knowledge and age, and a negative correlation between informant’s medicinal plant knowledge and the years of schooling. Reasons behind these findings are thought to be in the rapid socio-cultural changes of the Waorani due to globalization processes. Increased accessibility to health centers and improved transportation infrastructure result in a loss of ethnobotanical knowledge.

Keywords: ethnobotany; traditional ecological knowledge; indigenous communities; Ecuadorian amazon; loss of knowledge; globalization; global change; acculturation; socio-cultural changes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:16:p:4460-:d:258572

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