USE OF MOCORA, ASTROCARYUM STANDLEYANUM (ARECACEAE), BY THREE ETHNIC GROUPS IN ECUADOR: DIFFERENCES, SIMILARITIES AND MARKET POTENTIAL

Looking at non-timber forest products is one of the ways that
people are trying to find a balance between forest use and conservation. In areas
designated as protected, around and in which people live, this balance is even
more crucial. Such is the case in the Mache-Chindul Ecological Reserve in
Ecuador. Conservationists, governments, and local activists are particularly
concerned. This paper looks at how three different ethnic groups, mestizo, Afro-
Ecuadorian, and the indigenous group, the Chachi, use a potentially sustainable
resource, mocora, Astrocaryum standleyanum¸ (Arecaceae), for fiber, fruit and oil.
This study explores the differences and similarities between each group’s use and
collection of this plant while exploring the current and potential market
possibilities. The study shows that considerable differences do emerge in terms
of each group’s utilization of this plant resource, and at the same time,
commercial opportunities can exist for all three.