“Terras pretas (Amazonian Dark Earth) in Amazonien. Lokales Wissen, aktuelle Nutzung und Möglichkeiten nachhaltigen Managements” (Terras pretas (Amazonian Dark Earth) in Amazonia. Local knowledge, current use and opportunities for sustainable management)

Centuries-old, anthropogenically overformed Amazonian black earths(terras pretas, tierras negras, Amazonian dark earths) testify to the early intensive use of the Amazonian rainforest. In the Llanos de Mojos (Bolivia), soil analyses indicate the widespread presence of anthropogenic black soils enclosed by pre-colonial ring ditches. The populations living there today, who migrated to the region less than a hundred years ago, have developed their own classification systems for the local soils based on their experience of use. Although they are aware of the high utilization potential of the black earths, they use them only relatively extensively, as agriculture is becoming less and less important for livelihoods due to increasing emigration processes.