Etnobotánica de las especies combustibles comercializadas en la Ribera Platense, Buenos Aires, Argentina María Belén Doumecq, Patricia M. Arenas and Julio A. Hurrell Research contexto, las especies exóticas surgen como una alternativa de uso local ante la falta de acceso a las Resumen especies nativas. Introducción: En la Ribera Platense coexisten Palabras clave: Leña, leñeras, conocimiento diversas situaciones ambientales y culturales que botánico local, Parque Costero del Sur, Área posibilitan relevar el Conocimiento Botánico Local Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (CBL) en distintos contextos bioculturales. El objetivo de esta investigación es analizar de manera Correspondence comparativa el CBL de los expendedores de leña del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (AMBA) y del 1,2 1,2 Parque Costero del Sur (PCS) y alrededores. María Belén Doumecq * , Patricia M. Arenas , Julio A.Hurrell 1,2 Métodos: Se realizaron 31 entrevistas abiertas y 1 Laboratorio de Etnobotánica y Botánica Aplicada, semi-estructuradas a los expendedores, en su Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, U.N.L.P. mayoría de sexo masculino. En el AMBA se halló Calle 64 N° 3, La Plata. una mayor cantidad de sitios de expendio, 2 Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y herramientas utilizadas, estrategias de Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina aprovisionamiento, etnotaxones comercializados y formas de clasificarlos y ordenarlos respecto del *Corresponding Author: PCS y alrededores. [email protected] Resultados: Se relevaron 36 etnotaxones Ethnobotany Research & Applications comercializados como leña (4 de ellos además se 19:03 (2020) expenden como carbón en el AMBA) mayormente corresponden a especies exóticas y se extraen de la Extended Abstract zona de estudio. Tanto en el AMBA como en el PCS y alrededores se observa una posible correlación entre las preferencias de los pobladores y las Background. The use of firewood is a very current características físicas de la madera. En el AMBA, los topic worldwide. More than two billion people in etnotaxones más vendidos son a su vez los different parts of the world frequently use firewood preferidos: “quebracho colorado” (Schinopsis and other forms of biomass to cook and get heat balansae) e “itín” (Prosopis kuntzei). Mientras que en (CIFOR 2012, FAO 2019). In South America, fuel el PCS y alrededores el más vendido es el plants are still an essential part of subsistence “eucalipto” (Eucalyptus sp.) y los preferidos son el economies, especially in areas of high climate “tala” (Celtis tala) y el “coronillo” (Scutia buxifolia). strictness (Cardoso 2013, Jiménez Escobar & Martínez 2019, Morales et al. 2018, Nascimiento et Conclusiones: Estas especies nativas del sector al. 2019, Ramos et al. 2008a). In Argentina, the main están protegidas para su conservación y no se contributions on the use of firewood come from encuentran disponibles para los pobladores. En este Patagonia (Arré et al. 2015, Cardoso 2013, Morales Manuscript received: 18/07/2019 – Revised manuscript received: 20/01/2020 - Published: 27/01/2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.32859/era.19.03.1-27 Ethnobotany Research and Applications 2 et al. 2017a,b, 2018) and the provinces of Salta commercialization is carried out by men (Arré et al. (Otegui 2016), Catamarca (Jiménez Escobar & 2015), coinciding with the results obtained here. Martínez 2019) and Córdoba (Martínez 2015). Most In the BAMA, the interviewees mainly obtain of these studies have been conducted in rural firewood through the purchase (55%), the extraction communities. In Buenos Aires province there are of wood from the area (32%), and the recycling of studies developed in the Río de la Plata riverside. disused wood (13%). These three strategies are This is a complex area with diverse environmental often combined. In the PCS, the supply of firewood and cultural situations that make possible the survey outside the park comes mainly from the extraction, of the Local Botanical Knowledge (LBK). This and inside the park comes exclusively from the knowledge guides the selection and use of fuel purchase (the extraction is prohibited within the park plants within the local urban, peri-urban, and rural according to current legislation). The main season biocultural scenarios (Doumecq 2015, 2016, for extracting firewood is summer, as was recorded Doumecq & Arenas 2018, Doumecq & Riat 2017, in other parts of the world (Miah et al. 2003, Ramos Stampella et al. 2016). The general objective of this & Albuquerque 2012, Ramos et al. 2008b). The research is to analyze and compare the LBK of the extraction sites in the BAMA are public or private firewood sellers of the study area in its northern green spaces. In the PCS, the most frequent sources sector, the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA), of supply are the implanted Eucalyptus forests. The and the southern sector, the “Parque Costero del peridomestic forestations generally constitute a Sur” (PCS) and surroundings. multipurpose strategy in rural contexts, one of these purposes being the firewood supply (Cardoso & Methods. Usual ethnobotanical methods and Ladio 2011). Besides, firewood from hardwood techniques with a qualitative approach, such as species like "quebracho colorado" (Schinopsis participating observation, free listings, and open and balansae) and "itín" (Prosopis kuntzei), which come semi-structured interviews, were applied. The sellers from northern Argentina, is bought for sale. interviewed were selected through the "snowball" According to most of the interviewees, the sale of technique (Alexíades 1996, Albuquerque & Lucena firewood has decreased in the last 30 years, 2004, Albuquerque et al., 2014ab, Bernard 2000, because the consumers modified the way to heat Martin 1995). An exhaustive search of local firewood their houses, preferring the use of gas and/or sale sites on the Internet complemented that electricity. In the BAMA, 44% of the interviewees use selection. Thirty-one firewood and coal sale sites (25 firewood in their house, within the PCS 100% uses in the BAMA and 6 in the PCS) were surveyed. In all firewood, and outside the park, only 33%. cases, prior informed consent was achieved. The Interviewees who do not use firewood argue that information obtained in the field works was recorded they prefer to use natural gas. Those who use in notebooks and through audiovisual media. firewood do so due to lack of access to gas service, Herbarium and wood materials of the mentioned although some prefer to use firewood instead of gas ethnotaxa were collected together with the because they consider that firewood generates heat interviewees. Furthermore, samples of of better quality. The most commonly used species commercialized firewood were obtained to be are "quebracho colorado" and "eucalyptus". taxonomically identified. All the materials were According to some authors Cardoso (2013), Cardoso deposited in the ethnobotanical collections of the et al. (2012, 2013), Arré et al. (2015), Morales et al. Laboratorio de Etnobotánica y Botánica Aplicada. (2017a), the main destination for firewood is the household heating and to a lesser extent for cooking. Results and discussion. The interviewees are people In total, 36 ethnotaxa marketed as firewood were between 25 and 70 years old, mostly natives from surveyed, of which 33 were mentioned in the BANA the study area, of both sexes but mainly males (77, and 20 in the PCS. The most widely used species 4 %), so that the local practices associated with the are exotic, unlike that found in other studies firewood extraction and sale it could correspond to a conducted in Argentina where the native species gender issue, as was indicated for Brazil by Ramos predominate (Cardoso et al. 2013, Fernández 2017, et al. (2008b). LBK transmission about woodworking Jiménez Escobar & Martínez 2019, Morales et al. activity is diverse in the study area. In the urban and 2017a,b). Local sellers consider as good firewood peri-urban areas, in particular, knowledge is diffused the ethnotaxa that have hard woods that produce mainly in a simultaneous way and in multiple good embers, and good heat and flame emission. To directions at the same time. In Argentina, the a lesser extent, it is valued the wood that emits little collection of firewood for domestic use is carried out smoke, no sparks or resin. interchangeably by people of both sexes (Cardoso According to the literature, preferred ethnotaxa have 2013, Doumecq 2019, Jiménez Escobar & Martínez hard and heavy woods and their use as firewood is 2019, Morales et al. 2017), while the collection for widely known. In the BAMA, the most sold ethnotaxa are also the preferred: "quebracho colorado" and Ethnobotany Research and Applications 3 "itín". In the PCS the most sold is the "eucalyptus", relevancia actual a nivel mundial. Más de dos mil and the preferred are "tala" (Celtis tala) and millones de personas, en distintas partes del mundo, "coronillo" (Scutia buxifolia), both native species utilizan habitualmente leña y otras formas de protected inside the park according current biomasa para cocinar y para obtener calor (CIFOR legislation. In this local context, the interviewees 2012, FAO 2019). En Sudamérica, las plantas avoid making the extraction of firewood within the combustibles todavía forman parte primordial de las PCS to elude complications, opting for the purchase economías de subsistencia, en especial, en áreas or the extraction of firewood outside the PCS. In this rurales y de elevada rigurosidad climática (Cardoso frame, exotic species emerge as an alternative for 2013, Jiménez Escobar & Martínez 2019, Morales et local use due to the lack of access to native species. al. 2018, Nascimiento et al. 2019, Ramos et al. 2008a). Conclusions. From the comparative analysis of the results obtained in BAMA and PCS, similarities and Los estudios etnobotánicos en ámbitos urbanos, así differences emerged. Likewise, differences were como las investigaciones etnobotánicas en términos found inside the PCS. The sale of firewood in both generales, han prestado mayor atención a los usos BAMA and PCS is an activity carried out mainly by de las plantas para fines alimentarios y medicinales men, responding to a gender issue.