Determinación de los servicios ecosistémicos culturales y de aprovisionamiento del capulí (Prunus serotine ssp capulí Mc. Vaugh 1874) en los andes ecuatoriales.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to characterize the cultural ecosystem services and procurement of the species Prunus serotine in the Andean zone of Ecuador, with a crosssectional approach in preserving and disseminating ancestral knowledge related to the use of the species for the benefit of the human, which will increase the cultivation and conservation of capulí (Prunus serotine). From a previous investigation, the variables of the investigation were obtained as physical and mental recreation, tourism, aesthetic appreciation and inspiration for art, food, raw material, medicine, water supply and 13 life zones in which the species develops, data influential in the principle of sustainability focuses on the social, environmental and economic part. The research was exploratory and descriptive where semi-structural interviews were carried out to key informants in 8 provinces of Ecuador which are: Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Cañar and Azuay, between 1800 masl and 3500 masl to extract information and later be verified through field work. By the type of handling of the information, it was quasi-experimental, and qualitative, since the information obtained, it obeys a wide range of criteria that could not be categorized in a quantitative way. It determines that there are 43 cultural and supply ecosystem services in the equatorial Andes, where the capulí (Prunus serotine) is considered an Andean cherry linked to the fertility of women, and its uses are focused on guidelines of ecosystem services of food and cultural activities attached to 2 Andean festivities "Pawkar Raymi" (Festival of the flowering) and "Mushk nina" (fire festival). In addition, the Andean cultures seek the maximum usefulness of vegetation. Further study is recommended regarding vulnerability of the ethnobotanical uses of the specie to have greater results.