Abstract
Ecosystem services from wetlands include products such as food, water, fibers, timber, medicinal plants, and genetic resources for agriculture. One of the most abundant supplies is the raw material for basketry. In this study we aim to document the role of wetland plants as resources for basketry and broom-making in the Guadiana river basin and to analyze the local traditional knowledge of the species used in the area. We describe different types of baskets and other artifacts, and document basketry techniques. We found 30 species belonging to 12 families, 18 of them occurring in wetlands, four in irrigated fields, and seven in the adjacent dry territories. Twenty species are used in the manufacture of brooms. Twenty two types of basketry artifacts are described with their uses. The area shows a relevant cultural heritage, not merely as it was in the past, but also adapted to the new cultural and social contexts. The degradation and loss of wetlands in central Spain threatens these ecosystems and their associated cultural heritage. We suggest the declaration of this intangible human heritage as the “Culture of the Mediterranean Wetlands” before it disappears.
Highlights
Wetlands are ecosystems characterized by their distinctive hydrology, soils, fauna and vegetation
In this study we aim to document the role of wetland plants as resources for basketry and broom-making in the Guadiana river basin and to analyze the local traditional knowledge of the species used in the area
Our aims were to: 1) document the plants used for basket weaving and broom-making and in the area differentiating the plants gathered in wetlands from species obtained in other ecosystems, but used in the same cultural context; 2) to analyze the traditional knowledge about the different plant species used: management, collection, storage and uses; 3) to document local basketry techniques and to analyze and describe the most important basketry objects for traditional work and daily life of the inhabitants of wetlands
Summary
Wetlands are ecosystems characterized by their distinctive hydrology, soils, fauna and vegetation. These characteristics make them highly distinct from their surroundings and highly specialized cultural traditions have evolved based on the sustainable exploitation of the different wetland resources (EPA 2021a). Include freshwater marshes and wet meadows and wet prairies and fens. Freshwater marshes are characterized by periodic or permanent shallow water, little or no peat deposition, and mineral soils. Wet meadows commonly occur in poorly drained areas such as shallow lake basins where precipitation serves as their primary water supply, and they are often dry in the summer. Wet prairies may receive water from intermittent streams as well as groundwater and precipitation. Fens are groundwater-fed peat forming wetlands covered by grasses, sedges and reeds (EPA 2021b)
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