Uso Indígena del fuego en el páramo de San Lucas en el sur del Ecuador: estudio de caso de la etnia Saraguro

Abstract

Abstract: In this investigation, the indigenous use of fire carried out by the Saraguro ethnic group of the San Lucas Parish is identified. For this, the methodology was developed in three fundamental steps: i) a climatic analysis of the area of paramo was conducted by generating historical climograms, ii) it developed a study of the remote sensing severity of wildfires for four contrasting years (2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021) and finally iii) the application of semi-structured surveys applied to 61 women and 89 men. The data were analyzed with the level of information fidelity index (LIF), the informant consensus factor (ICF), and principal component analysis (PCA). The results indicate that low severity fires occur in the San Lucas parish and that knowledge of the use of fire is transmitted to new generations incorporating knowledge of how and where to burn. These results can help decision-makers to design regulations and proposals for the correct use of fire.