estudio etnobotánico y agroecológico de la sierra norte de madrid

ABSTRACT
The direct interrelation between people and plants is studied in Sierra Norte de
Madrid. The economy of his region was traditionally based on cattle farming, forest
resources and subsistence agriculture. Field work was carried out between 2003 and
2009, interviewing 276 informants, half of them women. In addition, structured
interviews and homegarden surveys were undertaken in 58 households. The knowledge
and practice about wild and cultivated plants was described and analyzed, as well as the
transformation of the three main agroecosystems.
The ethnoflora registered includes 420 taxons (65% wild), designated with 811
vernacular names. The most important use categories were food (38% of the ethnoflora)
and fodder (29%), followed by handicraft and medicine. The gathering of wild plants
for food and medicine is still in force in half of the cases, unlike the use for feed and
veterinary, which is almost completely abandoned.
Oak tree (Quercus pyrenaica) and ash tree (Fraxinus angustifolia) were the most
important wild species in the region. Among the cultivated species, in the dry fields the
most prevalent were rye and wheat, whereas homegardens were mainly dedicated to
potatoes and beans. In this research 129 landraces were identified and described, among
them 21 beans and peas, 27 vegetables, 73 fruit trees and 8 cereals.
The crisis of the traditional agrarian society in the 60's led to a mayor
transformation of the agroecosystems. Cereal plots were no longer cultivated and
agroforestry management was drastically reduced. At present, homegardens are the best
conserved agroecosystem, becoming a cultural and biological refuge. Diversification of
land uses, landraces and wild plant uses represented a survival strategy before 1960.
Nowadays, leisure and cultural identity are the main reasons to maintain some
traditional uses, like gathering wild vegetables or cultivating homegardens and
landraces.
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