Medicinal Plants and Economic Development (MPED) Research Center, Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2017 Aug 8;13(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s13002-017-0173-8.
Traditional ecological knowledge among indigenous communities plays an important role in retaining cultural identity and achieving sustainable natural resource management. Hundreds of millions of people mostly in developing countries derive a substantial part of their subsistence and income from plant resources. The aim of this study was to assess useful plant species diversity, plant use categories and local knowledge of both wild and cultivated useful species in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.
The study was conducted in six villages in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa between June 2014 and March 2017. Data on socio-economic characteristics of the participants, useful plants harvested from the wild, managed in home gardens were documented by means of questionnaires, observation and guided field walks with 138 participants.
A total of 125 plant species belonging to 54 genera were recorded from the study area. More than half of the species (59.2%) are from 13 families, Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Araliaceae, Asparagaceae, Asphodelaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae and Solanaceae. More than a third of the useful plants (37.6%) documented in this study are exotic to South Africa. About three quarters of the documented species (74.4%) were collected from the wild, while 20.8% were cultivated and 4.8% were spontaneous. Majority of the species (62.4%) were used as herbal medicines, followed by food plants (30.4%), ethnoveterinary medicine (18.4%), construction timber and thatching (11.2%). Other minor plant use categories (1-5%) included firewood, browse, live fence, ornamentals, brooms and crafts.
This study demonstrated that local people in the Eastern Cape province harbour important information on local vegetation that provides people with food, fuel and medicines, as well as materials for construction and the manufacturing of crafts and many other products. This study also demonstrated the dynamism of traditional ecological knowledge, practices and beliefs of local people demonstrated by the incorporation of exotic plants in their diets and indigenous pharmacopoeia.
土著社区的传统生态知识在保持文化认同和实现可持续自然资源管理方面发挥着重要作用。数以亿计的人，主要是在发展中国家，从植物资源中获得大部分生计和收入。本研究的目的是评估南非东开普省野生和栽培有用物种的有用植物物种多样性、植物用途类别和当地知识。
本研究于 2014 年 6 月至 2017 年 3 月在南非东开普省的 6 个村庄进行。通过问卷、观察和与 138 名参与者进行的实地指导，记录了参与者的社会经济特征、从野生和家庭花园中收获的有用植物的数据。
从研究区域共记录了 125 种植物，属于 54 属。超过一半的物种（59.2%）来自 13 个科，伞形科、夹竹桃科、橄榄科、天门冬科、葱科、菊科、豆科、唇形科、锦葵科、桃金娘科、禾本科、蔷薇科和茄科。本研究记录的有用植物中有超过三分之一（37.6%）是南非的外来物种。大约三分之二的记录物种（74.4%）是从野外采集的，20.8%是栽培的，4.8%是自然生长的。大多数物种（62.4%）被用作草药，其次是食用植物（30.4%）、民族兽医药物（18.4%）、建筑木材和茅草（11.2%）。其他较小的植物用途类别（1-5%）包括薪材、饲料、活篱笆、观赏植物、扫帚和工艺品。
本研究表明，东开普省的当地人拥有关于当地植被的重要信息，这些植被为人们提供食物、燃料和药物，以及建筑材料和制造工艺品以及许多其他产品的材料。本研究还表明，当地人民的传统生态知识、实践和信仰具有动态性，通过将外来植物纳入他们的饮食和本土药典来体现。
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