Criteria affecting the identification and use of plants of interest for tourism in Jipijapa, Manabí, Ecuador

Abstract

In order to verify the criteria that affect the identification and use of plants of interest to tourism, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted in the 10 parishes of the Jipijapa canton, Manabí, Ecuador. The initial hypothesis stated that factors such as age, gender and level of education influence the pattern of knowledge about plants. We worked with 47 residents who were knowledgeable about plants and entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, focusing on theoretical and practical knowledge, defined here as the ability to recognize plants and the ability to identify their uses, respectively. In general, the results show that the people interviewed in Jipijapa have a good knowledge of the plants, useful for tourists and this knowledge is not affected by the level of education. The criteria of age and gender influence the acquisition of practical knowledge. This study can serve as a basis for comparative studies in Ecuador.

Keywords

• conocimiento tradicional
• estudio etnobotánico
• uso de plantas.