Ethnobotany in the North Coast of Peru: Use of Plants in the Fishing Community of Huanchaco for Subsistence

Abstract

The subsistence strategies that coastal fishing communities have developed over time are closely related to their interaction with the sea. Fishing is generally the principal economic activity of the members of these communities; however, the use of botanical resources has also contributed to their subsistence through time. This is the case of the Huanchaco fishing community that live on the north coast of Peru. They use reeds to construct sea vessels for fishing and other plants growing locally for diverse economic and cultural activities. To study their traditional relationships with useful plants, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted with 40 members of the fishing community. The objective of this research was to determine the use of local plants for daily activities and the intracultural variation of that knowledge as it relates to age and gender. Results showed that people use plants for food, medicinal, and industrial purposes, and that women and elderly people are more knowledgeable about medicinal and industrial plants than their male and younger counterparts. Although processes of modernization have influenced many aspects of the fishing community’s lifestyle, the existing TEK suggests that plants still play an important role in their daily subsistence strategies.