Format: ORAL

Joaquim Querola, lvaro Fernandez-Llamazaresa, b, Teresa Garnatjec, Joan Vallsd,e, Ariadna Casadevallf, Alba Garetf and Sandrine Galloisa.

a Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain b Unitat de Botànica, Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia (BABVE), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. c Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB), CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona, Passeig del Migdia s.n., Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain d Laboratori de Botànica, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain e Institut d’Estudis Catalans (IEC), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain f Department of Anthropology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain

Although plants contribute to human well-being, their importance is vastly underestimated. This socio-psychological phenomenon, widely known as Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD), has been studied by looking at peoples knowledge of plants, their interest on them, the level of attention they pay to them, and their general attitudes towards their conservation. Yet, the emotional dimensions, encapsulated through our intangible relations with plants, have been largely undervalued in the study of PAD. Moreover, while PAD has been documented among mostly urban and industrialized settings, traditional plant-related wisdom of rural communities is virtually absent from this discussion. This study explores the intangible relations between local ethnobotanical knowledge holders and plants at three levels communal, familial, and individual by exploring diverse aspects of expressive culture such as stories, songs, and personal recollections anchored in lived experiences. We propose a methodological approach to document and characterize these intangible connections with plants, and recognize them in the study of PAD. In-depth interviews were conducted among 22 recognized ethnobotanical knowledge keepers in the Camprodon Valley (Catalan Pyrenees, Spain). Exhibiting notably low PAD levels, our informants reported a myriad of cultural, familial, and individual expressions of their bonds with the shared botanical heritage of the valley, including 36 distinct sayings, 53 anecdotes, 27 traditions, and 31 family customs. Our findings shed light on the intricate relations between humans and plants in rural communities, largely underpinned by emotional connections and a sense of cultural identity. These findings hold large implications for studies aimed at gauging plant awareness and quantifying PAD levels, while underscoring the breadth and depth of humans many intangible relationships with the plant worlds around them.