From Secular Isolation to Current Globalisation: Preserving the Ethnobotanical Knowledge in Eivissa/Ibiza (Balearic...

Eivissa/Ibiza, as per its names in its two official languages, Catalan and Spanish, is the third of the Balearic Islands in terms of extension and the second concerning population. It is also a well-known holiday destination in Europe. Numerous ethnobotanical prospections have been performed in the Balearic Islands, but to date, Ibiza lacks a monographic study on traditional knowledge related to plant biodiversity. In this paper, we present the results of the ethnobotanical investigation carried out in Ibiza from 2016 to 2023. A total amount of 95 interviews were conducted with 101 informants born between 1916 and 1983, with semi-structured interviews, participant observation and plant collection, identification and deposit in a public herbarium as basic methods. The total ethnoflora of the island is 254 taxa belonging to 71 botanical families. The most cited families are Solanaceae (1030 URs, 13.50%), followed by Fabaceae (770 URs, 10.09%), Lamiaceae (646 URs, 8.47%) and Rutaceae (578 URs, 7.57%). The most cited species are Vitis vinifera, Capsicum annuum, Solanum lycopersicum, Solanum tuberosum and Citrus sinensis. This study reveals that the local population still retains significant ethnobotanical knowledge. Further research in similar territories could help determine whether this pattern is consistent elsewhere.