A major concern of ethnobiology is to understand the social relations that favor the occurrence and expansion of biological diversity in the Neotropic. This article evaluates the richness of ethnovarieties of cassava cultivated in communities located in public forest lands named Gleba Nova Olinda I, Pará State, Brazil. Data were obtained in workshops with 46 informants, and were analyzed by qualitative and quantitative methods. There are at least 52 manioc ethnovarieties on this site and germplasm sharing occurs both inside and outside the community. The knowledge improvement on this agrobiological resource by community members shows the important role that the inhabitants play in biological conservation of Gleba Nova Olinda I. Thus, support to local development should be grounded on ethnoknowledge.
Agrobiodiversity; Ethnoknowledge; Ethnobotany
