Registration of Traditional Ethnoknowledge and the Use of Forest Resources in Artisanal Shipbuilding in Babitonga Bay, Santa Catarina, Brazil.

In Brazil, the primary means of transportation made of wood are boats, considered part of the world's naval heritage as they reflect the country's ethnic diversity, incorporating the knowledge, techniques, and cultures of different peoples in their construction methods. The objectives of this study are to document and describe the traditional knowledge of shipbuilders, understand the mechanisms that guide the selection of wood species, and investigate the traditional techniques used in the construction of wooden boats in the Babitonga Bay region, in southern Brazil. The research employed purposive snowball sampling to identify participants with knowledge about wooden boats. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2024 and June 2025, using audio recording and a digital questionnaire, addressing topics including vessel types, wood species used, and selection criteria. The transcripts were analyzed using Atlas. ti. Statistical analysis combined Fisher's exact test and binomial tests to assess the relationships among wood selection criteria, resource availability, and perceptions of the decline in traditional knowledge. Our study confirmed that men hold the traditional knowledge of artisanal construction, reflecting the historical gender division in artisanal fishing communities. Statistical results show that carpenters prioritize technical knowledge in wood selection, with availability not being a decisive criterion. However, the cost of wood influences decisions and encourages the use of cheaper commercial species. The decline in activity is widely recognized among shipbuilders, who attribute the erosion of knowledge to the loss of master artisans, the lack of apprentices, restricted access to forest resources, the devaluation of the craft, and conflicts over maritime space. Furthermore, the use of commercial timber species from the Amazon signals an extractive policy that threatens forest species and the cultural knowledge associated with their use. These results highlight the need for safeguarding policies that consider both the technical and sociocultural dimensions of this intangible heritage, as well as effective strategies for the intergenerational transmission of this knowledge.