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Showing papers by "Oliver L. Phillips published in 1993"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the importance of over 600 species of woody plants to non-indigenous mestizo people in Tambopata, Amazonian Peru has been evaluated.
Abstract: This paper describes a new, simple, quantitative technique for evaluating the relative usefulness of plants to people. The technique is then compared to the quantitative approaches in ethnobotany that have been developed recently. Our technique is used to calculate the importance of over 600 species of woody plants to non-indigenous mestizo people in Tambopata, Amazonian Peru. Two general classes of hypotheses are formulated and tested statistically, concerning (1) the relative importance of different species, and (2) the importance of different families. The plant families are compared with respect to all uses, and with respect to five broad groups of uses. Palms, Annonaceae, and Lauraceae were found to be the most useful woody plant families. On average, the 20 largest woody plant families are most important to mestizos for subsistence construction materials, followed in descending order by commercial, edible, technological, and medicinal uses.

844 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is found that the family to which a plant belongs explains a large part of the variance in species’ use values, and age significantly predicts informant knowledge of all uses, and of medicinal uses.
Abstract: We present results of applying a simple technique to statistically test several hypotheses in ethnobotany, using plant use data from non-indigenous people in southeast Peru. Hypotheses tested concern: (1) the power of eight different variables as predictors of a plant’s use value; (2) comparisons of ethnobotanical knowledge among informants; and (3) the relationship between informant age and knowledge of plant uses. Each class of hypothesis is evaluated with respect to all uses, and classes (1) and (3) are evaluated for each of the following subsidiary use categories: construction, edible, commerce, medicine, and technology. We found that the family to which a plant belongs explains a large part of the variance in species’ use values. Each of the other factors analyzed (growth-form, density, frequency, mean and maximum diameter, mean and maximum growth rate) is also significantly predictive of use values. Age significantly predicts informant knowledge of(l) all uses, and (2) of medicinal uses. Plant medicinal lore is particularly vulnerable to acculturation.

460 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that tropical forests produce 60% of the world's edible fruit and nut production, but the most preferred palm fruits are difficult to harvest because they are borne too high for easy access by collectors.
Abstract: New data shows that edible fruit and nut production in Amazonian forests is substantially lower than most conservationists assume. Direct measures of production in Amazonian Peru show that two terra firma forest types produced significantly less edible fruit than an alluvial soil forest. Swamp forest produced more edible fruit than any other forest type measured. Palms produce 60% of edible fruit productivity, averaged over three forest types, but the most preferred palm fruits are difficult to harvest because they are borne too high for easy access by collectors. Forest fruit collection in Amazonia is less productive in the short-term than all other food-producing activities except for hunting and cattle ranching. Technological, social and political changes are essential so that sustainable but intrinsically low-yielding extractive activities like fruit collecting become more attractive to Amazonians.

62 citations


Journal ArticleDOI

2 citations