Trees, culture, and territory: A comparative ethnobotany of the Basque highlands through the lens of TEK. (Ataun, Guesalaz, and the Roncal Valley)

Abstract

Background: This article presents a comparative ethnobotanical analysis of three territories in the Basque Country—Ataun (Gipuzkoa), the Guesalaz Valley (central Navarre), and the Roncal Valley (Navarrese Pyrenees)—which form an ecological and cultural transect running from northwest to southeast. Drawing on the framework of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), the study examines how communities with different climates and economic trajectories have constructed and transmitted knowledge concerning local tree flora.

Methods: The documentary corpora—some of which remain unpublished—record approximately 95, 50, and 55 taxa, respectively. Five structuring species common to all three territories have been identified. Jaccard similarity indices reveal an inverse correlation between floristic affinity and ecological distance: Guesalaz–Roncal (≈0.40), Ataun–Guesalaz (≈0.21), and Ataun–Roncal (≈0.15).

Results: The study identifies three models of society–forest relations. In Ataun, timber-related knowledge prevails, organized around a lunar calendar specific to each species. In Guesalaz, agricultural and pastoral knowledge is regulated through communal governance. In Roncal, knowledge centered on resource exploitation and craft production is closely tied to transhumance, traditional trades, and the almadiero (log-raft) tradition. Basque vernacular nomenclature functions as a living archive of biological knowledge, exhibiting variable degrees of divergence by district due to intergenerational transmission. Botanical toponymy further enables the reconstruction of the historical distribution of species currently absent from certain elevations or valley floors.

Conclusions: The study concludes that a comparative approach is essential for revealing convergences and divergences among local TEK systems and underscores the urgency of documenting this heritage before the generation that holds it is lost.

Keywords: Traditional knowledge, Biocultural diversity, Cultural landscape, Phytonymy, Ethnoecology