RESEARCH PROGRAMME
Research will be carried out in collaboration between partners
from
This research topic of economically important species deals with
Economic Species in the Andean region, and much of it will be conducted in
communities located in or near protected areas. The research has implications
for the use, value and management of economically important species, and
ecology, diversity, distribution, and secondary substances of plants are
studied. Taking advantage of existing inventory, the project focuses on
commonly used species, and investigate selected ones estimating the amounts of
resources available, investigating traditional management practices, evaluate
if present uses are sustainable, and alternatively propose better management
schemes. A number of selected use categories will be studied, for instance
based on natural products chemistry (human- and veterinary medicine, etc.) or
structural properties (wood, fiber, etc.). For each category important species
will be identified, and data concerning their uses, economic importance, and
management will be gathered applying a variety of qualitative and quantitative
research methodologies. Attention will be given to distribution of knowledge
and practices according to gender, age, economic and social classes and ethnic
groups, as differences between population segments may have important
implications for sustainability and management. The ecology and variation of
selected important species may also be investigated throughout the entire
Andean region.
Currently the research programme has
five research activities:
1.
Tucumano-Boliviano
forests
2.
Elaeagia
systematics
3.
Palm
ethnobotany
4.
Palm
ethnoecology
5.
Economic
botany informatics