Exotic and native species used by traditional populations of the Patagonian steppe: An approach based on redundancy and versatility

Abstract

The utilitarian redundancy model has been used to indirectly verify the resilience of useful plant knowledge systems used by local populations. From the bases of this model and the hypothesis of diversification, we can think that exotic species can enter socio-ecological systems to fill gaps and reduce the use pressure on native species. In this study, we want to draw a picture of the redundancy of plant species used by three traditional populations of the Patagonian steppe for medicinal, fuel, and edible purposes. We also compare the use of pressure and the degree of uniqueness of native and exotic species, using redundancy and versatility as proxies. Our results show that, according to utilitarian redundancy, the plant knowledge systems of the three communities seem to have similar adaptive capacity to provide options for responding to change; for example, by allowing certain elements to compensate/substitute for the loss of others. We found that native species are the most unique and may be under greater use pressure than exotic ones. Thus, our results point to the importance of conserving the steppe Patagonian native environment for the survival of traditional populations. Our study can be used to establish priority botanical species for conservation in the Patagonian steppe.