UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

Afro-Descendant Oral Tradition as a Tool for the Sustainable Biocultural Restoration of the Tropical Dry Forest, Patía Valley, Colombia

Identification

Public canonical key

radar:r-0d7dfd52e91dac5aaf0f18afa04aad22

Authors

Luis E. López · Yenni Paola Samboni · Diego Jesús Macías Pinto · Hernando Rafael Vergara Varela · Fernando Muñoz

Reported year

2026

Reported language

en

Source type

article

First detected

2026-11-13T12:48:49.428346+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-13T12:48:49.428346+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Universidad del Cauca · Universidad Santo Tomás

Reported affiliation countries

CO

Documentary abstract — original language

The sustainable restoration of tropical dry forest (TDF)—one of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems—is constrained by low community integration and limited cultural relevance, particularly in Afro-descendant territories, where the erosion of oral tradition and forest degradation reinforce one another. This study proposes a quantitative framework to systematize the biocultural memory embedded in oral tradition as an input for socially grounded, sustainable TDF restoration. A corpus of 401 works from the Afro-descendant community of the Patía Valley (Cauca, Colombia) was coded in a multidimensional database of 10 categories, and three indices were computed: the Biocultural Density Index (IDBC), the Biocultural Vulnerability Index (IVB), and an adaptation of Winter’s flora framework (IVBw), in a total version and a version restricted to wild/native species. The framework identifies the works of greatest biocultural density (IDBC max. = 84) and separates cultivated/introduced species of high cultural value (Limón, Yuca, Caña de azúcar), ones relevant to food sovereignty, and from wild/native species (e.g., Caña brava, Cañafístula, Guayacán, Ceiba) that constitute the restorable core. Cultural practices are the hubs of the system, traditional medicine is the most at risk of loss, and food security concentrates 43% of the flora records. These replicable tools link Afro-descendant knowledge to measurable, monitorable restoration priorities, advancing sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation and cultural sustainability.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

https://openalex.org/W7204243700

DOI

10.3390/su18178754

Documentary context

Documentary family

article

Source-reported types

article

Publishers

Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1

• Document · https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178754

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

This identity is not yet included in the Legal Library.