Devkota Shiva, Chaudhary Ram Prasad, Werth Silke, Scheidegger Christoph
Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2017 Feb 21;13(1):15. doi: 10.1186/s13002-017-0142-2.
The aim of the study was to document the prevailing indigenous knowledge and various uses of lichens among the lichenophilic communities in the hills and mountainous settlements of Nepal.
Ethnic uses were recorded during twelve field trips, each of roughly 15 days in three consecutive years, through direct questionnaires administered to 190 respondents. Lichen samples were identified applying microscopic observation and thin layer chromatography (TLC). Voucher specimens of identified species are deposited at TUCH (Tribhuvan University Central Herbarium) in Nepal.
Lichens are being used in several ways by different communities of Nepal. We recorded the ethnic use of seven species of lichens belonging to four families (Parmeliaceae, Physciaceae, Ramalinaceae and Usneaceae) and six genera (Heterodermia, Everniastrum, Parmotrema, Ramalina, Thamnolia and Usnea) among the Limbu, Sherpa, Lama, Gurung, Rai, Dalit, Tamang, Chhetri and Brahman communities. The present study revealed six use values namely; Medicinal value (MV), food value (FV), ritual and spiritual value (RSV), aesthetic and decorative value (ADV), bedding value (BV) and ethno-veterinary value (EVV) from different parts of Nepal. Three lichen species, Everniastrum cirrhatum, E. nepalense and Parmotrema cetratum were consumed by the Limbu and Rai communities. The Limbu and Sherpa ethnic groups are regarded as most lichenophilic communities while respondents from Brahman, Chhetri and Tamang communities showed less interest in lichen uses.
The present study contributes to document traditional knowledge on various uses of lichens among nine communities with three different cultural background, inhabitants of eight different altitudinal levels of Nepal. Regarding the six values as identified from this research, significant difference (p = <0.05) were found along altitudinal gradients or locations of the settlements, cultural groups and ethnicity of the respondents.
本研究的目的是记录尼泊尔山区和山地定居点中嗜地衣群落中盛行的本土知识以及地衣的各种用途。
在连续三年的十二次实地考察中，每次考察约15天，通过对190名受访者进行直接问卷调查来记录民族用途。应用显微镜观察和薄层色谱法（TLC）对地衣样本进行鉴定。已鉴定物种的凭证标本保存在尼泊尔的图什（特里布万大学中央植物标本馆）。
尼泊尔的不同社区以多种方式使用地衣。我们记录了林布族、夏尔巴族、喇嘛族、古隆族、雷族、达利特族、塔芒族、切特里族和婆罗门族社区对属于四个科（梅衣科、粉衣科、石蕊科和松萝科）和六个属（异皮果衣属、扁枝衣属、盾衣属、树花属、黑果衣属和松萝属）的七种地衣的民族用途。本研究揭示了来自尼泊尔不同地区的六个使用价值，即药用价值（MV）、食用价值（FV）、仪式和精神价值（RSV）、美学和装饰价值（ADV）、铺垫价值（BV）和民族兽医价值（EVV）。林布族和雷族社区食用三种地衣物种，即卷边扁枝衣、尼泊尔扁枝衣和 Cetratum 盾衣。林布族和夏尔巴族被视为最嗜地衣的社区，而婆罗门族、切特里族和塔芒族社区的受访者对地衣用途的兴趣较低。
本研究有助于记录尼泊尔九个具有三种不同文化背景、居住在八个不同海拔高度的社区中地衣各种用途的传统知识。关于本研究确定的六个价值，在海拔梯度或定居点位置、受访者的文化群体和种族方面发现了显著差异（p = <0.05）。
