The interactions between traditional communities with the forest and urban populations threaten the maintenance of traditional knowledge associated with the natural resources use. From this premise, this article identifies the local ecological knowledge (LEK) on andirobeiras (Carapa guianensis Aublet), the products derived from the species use, the knowledge on the andiroba oil extraction, and the preservation of this habit in the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) of Fazendinha, Amapá state, Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 84 residents and three focal groups. According to the results, 76% of the residents have LEK about the species, the oil extraction from seeds and its timber production as its main uses; 64% know the oil extraction process; and 30% declared to keep it as a habit. The youngest are familiar with the andiroba oil, but most of them did not experience the entire extraction process. The survey found a trend towards loss of LEK on andirobeiras and its oil extraction process across generations, as a consequence of urbanization and the limited use of this product due to the lack of information among residents about their rights on the use forest resources in the EPA.
Local Ecological Knowledge; Environmental perception; Amazon; Ethnobiology
