Adaptive ecological knowledge among the Ndjuka Maroons of French Guiana; a case study of two 'invasive species': Melaleuca quinquenervia and Acacia mangium.

BACKGROUND: To understand how local ecological knowledge changes and adapts, here in the case of the recent introduction of plant species, we report the knowledge and perceptions of the Ndjuka (Maroon) of French Guiana concerning two tree species, Acacia mangium and niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia), which are categorized as "invasive alien plants" in the savannas of their territory. METHODS: To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted between April and July 2022, using a pre-designed questionnaire, plant samples and photographs. The uses, local ecological knowledge, and representations of these species were surveyed among populations of Maroon origin in western French Guiana. All responses to closed questions collected during the field survey were compiled into an Excel spreadsheet in order to perform quantitative analyses, including the calculation of use reports (URs). RESULTS: It appears that the local populations have integrated these two plant species, which are named, used and even traded, into their knowledge systems. On the other hand, neither foreignness nor invasiveness seem to be relevant concepts in the perspective of the informants. The usefulness of these plants is the determining factor of their integration into the Ndjuka medicinal flora, thus resulting in the adaptation of their local ecological knowledge. CONCLUSION: In addition to highlighting the need for the integration of the discourse of local stakeholders into the management of "invasive alien species," this study also allows us to observe the forms of adaptation that are set in motion by the arrival of a new species, particularly within populations that are themselves the result of recent migrations. Our results furthermore indicate that such adaptations of local ecological knowledge can occur very quickly.

Migrant Pharmacopoeias: An Ethnobotanical Survey of Four Caribbean Communities in Amazonia (French Guiana).

French Guiana is an overseas French department in South America at the margin of the Amazon basin. Its population is characterized by an important number of cultural groups. Many inhabitants originate from the Caribbean (mostly Saint Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic). The objectives of this study were to present an overview of the main uses of plants among the Caribbean populations in French Guiana, and how they contribute to the dynamics of plant-based practices, in order to provide insights into ethnobotanical convergences, divergences, and hybridizations (such as the importation of new species and associated practices, and the adoption of Amazonian species by Caribbean people). Interviews and botanical voucher collections were conducted throughout the coastal area of French Guiana. Sixteen Saint Lucian, nineteen Haitian, eighteen French Caribbean, and twelve Dominican informants were interviewed during the fieldwork. Altogether they use 212 botanical species. Some plants have recently been imported directly from the Caribbean, while adaptations have also taken place: some species that do not exist locally are abandoned while Amazonian species are integrated to form hybrid pharmacopoeias. The phytotherapies of these communities in French Guiana are still conserved as consistent sets of knowledge, although they tend to blend through an ongoing process of hybridization. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12231-021-09529-0.

La Guyane française est un département français d'Amérique du Sud situé à la marge nord du bassin amazonien. La composition de sa population est caractérisée par une très grande diversité d'appartenances culturelles. De nombreux habitants sont notamment originaires des Caraïbes (principalement de Sainte­Lucie, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Haïti et de la République dominicaine). Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de présenter une vue d'ensemble des principaux usages de soin par les plantes chez les populations caribéennes de Guyane française, et la manière dont ils contribuent à la dynamique des pratiques de phytothérapie locales, afin d'apporter un éclairage sur les modalités de convergences, de divergences et d'hybridations ethnobotaniques (telles que l'importation de nouvelles espèces et d'usages associés et l'adoption d'espèces amazoniennes par les migrants caribéens) auxquelles elles donnent naissance. Des entretiens et des collectes d'herbiers ont été menés sur l'ensemble de la zone côtière de la Guyane française. Seize informateurs saint­luciens, dix­neuf haïtiens, dix­huit caribéens français et douze dominicains ont été interrogés au cours du travail de terrain. Au total, ceux­ci ont mentionné utiliser 212 espèces botaniques. Certaines plantes ont récemment été directement importées des îles de la Caraïbe, et des adaptations ont également eu lieu: certaines espèces qui n'existent pas localement sont progressivement délaissées par les migrants caribéens tandis que, a contrario, des espèces amazoniennes sont intégrées à leurs pharmacopées respectives. On observe enfin que les phytothérapies de ces communautés caribéennes de Guyane française conservent un ensemble cohérent de connaissances ethnomédicinales, qui tend cependant à se mélanger dans un processus continu d'hybridation bioculturelle.

As vivid as a weed Medicinal and cosmetic plant uses amongst the urban youth in French Guiana.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: French Guiana is a French overseas territory with a rich history of migration that has led to a highly intercultural society. Today, its population is one of the youngest in the French territory and is rapidly increasing. Despite a context of cultural revival seeking "tradition", a distanced baseline of local practices is still lacking. This work addresses some aspects of the cultural hybridizations in progress in urban areas. METHODS: Semi directed interviews were conducted with willing participants aged between 18 and 40. Interviews took place in French Guiana's two main urban centres: Cayenne and Saint Laurent du Maroni. People were interviewed about the last medicinal plant they used in the preceding year. Due to the high use of plant baths in French Guiana, a focus was made on baths. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Eighty-three people answered: 43 women and 40 men (mean age of 28.7 years old). In total, 226 remedies were counted in our study, 155 single plant remedies and 71 compound remedies leading to 316 use reports of plants from 16 cultural groups. A surprising number of 108 botanical species were recorded. Eighty-one recipes for baths were also collected. Despite this high citation rate, a rather low proportion of people declare a systematic and regular recourse upon local pharmacopoeia (46%; 38/83). Although many interviewees used plants, far from the majority used them on a regular basis. In practice, 50% of the species (54/108 spp.; 99/316 URs) are non-native but domesticated exotic species, imported from Asia, Europe, Africa or remote parts of America, either during colonization, the slave trade era, or more recently with the latest migrations. CONCLUSION: Although phytotherapy use is often thought to be related to countryside dwellers and older people, medicinal plants seem to play an important role in the lives of urban French Guianese youth. Research shows a large diversity of medicinal species used linked with the great cultural diversity of the Guianese cities. One characteristic of this population is the hybridization process leading to a perpetual renewal of practices, both in terms of species and practice.