Chemical Selection in Andean Domesticated Tubers as a Model for the Acquisition of Empirical Plant Knowledge

The number of publications about the Caiçaras population is growing, which shows that researchers are interested in these natives. This study aimed to survey the flora used by local specialists of the Praia do Sono Caiçara community, and recorded how these taxa were used, with the goal of understanding traditional management systems that help to conserve natural ecosystems. Twelve informants were selected and interviewed. The applied grouping analysis, together with the chi-squared test, underlined that the analysed ethnobotanical knowledge showed a heterogeneous distribution in relation to the gender of the interviewee. A total of 190 taxa were cited and were classified into nine usage categories. The Shannon-Wiener index (H') value obtained in this study was the second highest in comparison to other Brazilian coastal communities. This work showed that the local specialists of this Caiçara community maintain a wide knowledge of, and affinity to, the plant resources that surround them. This knowledge is not only important, but fundamental to discussions about the application of sustainable use and management strategies for this area of conservation value.

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Ethnobotanical Research in Grand Teton National Park, Honoring the First People and Their Plant Knowledge

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2004.3569 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 41-44

Author(s):

Evelyn Hill

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

National Park ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Second Phase ◽

Grand Teton National Park ◽

Plant Knowledge

During the summer of 2004 I began the second phase of a three part study on ethnobotanical plants within the protected boundaries of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway. Identification, location and collection of around 300 plant species used for food, medicine, utilitarian and ceremonial purposes by Shoshoni, Blackfoot, Crow, Ute, Arapahoe, Gosiute and Western Plains and Rocky Mountain Tribes, was and still is the goal of this project.

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Local plant knowledge and its variation among farmer’s families in the Napf region, Switzerland

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine ◽

10.1186/s13002-021-00478-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Anna Poncet ◽

Christoph Schunko ◽

Christian R. Vogl ◽

Caroline S. Weckerle

Keyword(s):

Ornamental Plants ◽

Woody Species ◽

Forest Species ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Specialized Knowledge ◽

Grassland Species ◽

Plant Knowledge ◽

Local Plant ◽

Cultural Domain ◽

Knowledge Variation

Abstract Background Local plant knowledge typically is unevenly distributed within a community. This knowledge variation is important in understanding people’s relationship with their environment. Here we ask about knowledge variation among farmers’ families in the Napf region of Switzerland. Methods In 2008 and 2009, 60 adults and children living on 14 farms were interviewed about known and used plant species, and the data analyzed for knowledge variation. The farms were chosen by random stratified sampling, and freelisting and semi-structured interviews were conducted individually in the local idiom. The data were organized in an access database and analyzed with descriptive statistics, correlations, Mann–Whitney U tests and cultural domain analysis. Results Totally, 456 folk taxa were listed, whereas frequently listed species are common meadow and forest species. Uses were indicated for 391 taxa, most of them culinary, followed by fodder, wood, medicinal and ornamental uses. Local plant knowledge correlates with age and gender. Due to professional specialization, adults above 20 years have broader plant knowledge than children and adolescents. This is true for almost all examined habitat and plant use categories except for toy uses. Women and men share a common body of plant knowledge especially about herbaceous grassland species and woody species. Specialized knowledge of men is linked to cattle fodder and the processing of wood, specialized knowledge of women concerns edible, medicinal and ornamental plants, often garden species, but also herbaceous forest species. Conclusion In a rural region like the Napf, people retain a solid basis of plant knowledge. The variation of plant knowledge within farmers’ families of this region reflects sociocultural patterns. As these patterns are changing and as (agro)biodiversity is declining, local plant knowledge in the Napf region is suspected to undergo a mainstreaming process.

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Distribution and Transmission of Medicinal Plant Knowledge in the Andean Highlands: A Case Study from Peru and Bolivia

Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1155/2012/959285 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2012 ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel ◽

Ina Vandebroek

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plant ◽

Market Integration ◽

Individual Motivation ◽

Migratory Activity ◽

Plant Knowledge ◽

Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽

Medicinal Plant Knowledge ◽

The Family ◽

Andean Highlands

This paper presents a study of patterns in the distribution and transmission of medicinal plant knowledge in rural Andean communities in Peru and Bolivia. Interviews and freelisting exercises were conducted with 18 households at each study site. The amount of medicinal plant knowledge of households was compared in relation to their socioeconomic characteristics. Cluster analysis was applied to identify households that possessed similar knowledge. The different modes of knowledge transmission were also assessed. Our study shows that while theamountof plant knowledge is determined by individual motivation and experience, thetypeof knowledge is influenced by the community of residence, age, migratory activity, and market integration. Plant knowledge was equally transmitted vertically and horizontally, which indicates that it is first acquired within the family but then undergoes transformations as a result of subsequent contacts with other knowledge sources, including age peers.

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Transmission, Sharing, and Variation of Medicinal Plant Knowledge and Implications for Health

Plants and Health - Ethnobiology ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-48088-6_7 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 163-170

Author(s):

John Richard Stepp

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plant ◽

Plant Knowledge ◽

Medicinal Plant Knowledge

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Designing a Framework of Ethnomedicinal Plant Knowledge Integration Using OSS

10.4018/978-1-6684-3546-5.ch027 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 518-531

Author(s):

Piyali Das

Keyword(s):

Herbal Medicine ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Knowledge Integration ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Information Retrieval System ◽

Specific Knowledge ◽

Plant Knowledge ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Domain Specific Knowledge ◽

Harvesting Techniques

Indigenous knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous communities. Ethnic groups are repository knowledge of herbal medicine. Many indigenous people use several plants for medicinal preparations, and these medicines are known as ethnomedicine. It has developed from experience gained over centuries. Species of ethnomedicinal plants are threatened in most of nations due to overexploitation, habitat loss, destructive harvesting techniques, unsustainable trade, and deforestation. Documented indigenous knowledge on ethnomedicine forms part of the documentary heritage of the nation. The chapter will provide a framework for design an information retrieval system for ethnomedicine or knowledge on medicinal plants that are used to manage human ailments. The framework will be prepared, established on the open source software (OSS), and is appropriate not only for documentation but also beneficial for retrieving domain-specific knowledge. The model provides a framework for resource integration digitally using Greenstone Digital Library (GSDL) software.

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