Abstract

MESA, LAURA  and  GALEANO, GLORIA. Palms uses in the Colombian Amazon. Caldasia [online]. 2013, vol.35, n.2, pp.351-369. ISSN 0366-5232.

We provide a synopsis of the current state of knowledge on the use of palms by indigenous peoples in the Colombian Amazon. Thirty-six of the 41 indigenous groups inhabiting the Colombian Amazon use palms. We record a total of 82 useful palm species (78% of the total palm species occurring in the region) which are employed in 165 uses in eight use categories. A catalogue with detail information of each use in presented. The most relevant use categories were utensils and tools, construction, and human food. The ten most important species, which are also recorded as important in other areas of the Neotropical region, were: Bactris gasipaes, Euterpe precatoria, Mauritia flexuosa, Oenocarpus bataua, Attalea maripa, Oenocarpus minor, Astrocaryum chambira, Iriartea deltoidea, Oenocarpus bacaba, and Socratea exorrhiza. We did not find records on the palm use for several indigenous groups, namely the Cocama, Letuama, Piaroa, Pisamira and Yurí. Despite the limited information on palm use by indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon, it is clear that palms are very important for these communities. Palms are keystone for food security and sustainable development of indigenous populations of the Colombian Amazon. We suggest the inclusion of the most important species of palms in agroforestry and management programs, as well as the implementation of non-destructive harvesting techniques. We also recommend that further research will be focused on developing management strategies that guarantee the sustainable use of all species.

Keywords : Arecaceae; ethnobotany; importance indices; use categories.

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