Abstract This ethnobiological study examines how local ecological knowledge (LEK) of mangrove aquatic fauna is shaped by gender and age in two Diola villages (Elia and Elalab) in northern Guinea-Bissau. We challenge the common assumption that local ecological knowledge grows linearly with age and mainly belongs to adult men by using ethnographic (participant observation) and ethnobiological (photo-based species identification) methods to explore if girls, boys, women, and men know local species names. Adults showed higher overall accuracy than children, but village- and gender-specific patterns emerged. In Elia, women named more species correctly, and children (especially girls) demonstrated high accuracy from an early age. In Elalab, knowledge was more strongly male-dominated, with boys and men outperforming females. These contrasts reflect local fishing strategies: in Elia, both genders engage in fishing and shellfish collection across river, rice paddies, and intertidal habitats, while in Elalab, fishing is more concentrated among males. The results demonstrate that LEK is not simply a product of age or gender but develops through situated practice. This article underscores the importance of inclusive conservation and resource management that account for intra-cultural and intra-community diversity in ecological knowledge.
Keleman et al. (Thu,) studied this question.