Ethnoecology and ethnobotany of the jucara palm (Euterpe edulis Martins) in quilombola communities of the Ribeira River Valley, Sao Paulo

(Ethnoecology and ethnobotany of the jucara palm (Euterpe edulis Martins) in quilombola communities of the Ribeira River Valley, Sao Paulo). Quilombola communities are distributed all over Brazil. They are composed of the descendents of African slaves. In the Ribeira River Valley, one of the poorest regions in Sao Paulo state, they practice subsistence agriculture and extract plant resources from the environment, especially the jucara palm (Europe edulis Martins), a species that contributes to quilombola income. The jucara palm has special ecological and economic importance for quilombolas. The main aim of this study was to investigate ethnobotanical and ethnoecological aspects of the jucara palm in quilombola communities of the Ribeira River Valley, Sao Paulo. The investigation conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with key-informants for seven quilombola communities and a workshop to identify palm-fruit animal consumers. Flower visitors were also collected and identified. The quilombolas interviewed showed detailed local ecological knowledge of the jucara palm, mainly animal biodiversity in relation to the species. Ethnoecology and ethnobotany were efficient tools for the participative survey of jucara palm local knowledge. Local ecological knowledge of E. edulis can be considered for Atlantic forest management and conservation.