Chungnam National University, Daejeon, South Korea.
Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.
PLoS One. 2021 Oct 21;16(10):e0258905. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258905. eCollection 2021.
Locally harvested wild edible plants (WEPs) provide food as well as cash income for indigenous peoples and local communities, and they are of great importance in ensuring local food security. However, their uses and availability are poorly documented. This study aimed to enumerate WEP diversity and status of WEPs in a part of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Sikles region, where the population is dominated by the Gurung community. Ethnobotanical data were collected using guided field walks, semi-structured interviews, and field observation. The informant consensus method was employed and group discussions were conducted for triangulation of the information. Free listing and identification tests were performed to assess the knowledge of the informants. Both descriptive statistics and quantitative ethnobotanical methods were used for data analysis. A total of 72 wild food species belonging to 46 families and 61 genera were reported from the study area. Asparagaceae and Rosaceae were the dominant families, and herbs were the dominant life form. Fruits (34 species) were the most frequently used plant parts, followed by young shoots (16 species). Most edible plants were consumed in summer and during rainy seasons. While the age and type of informants had an influence on the number of enumerated plants, gender did not. Key informants and people aged 30-45 reported more species than other groups of respondents. Most of the knowledge about the use of WEPs was acquired from parents and relatives. The consumption of these plants was attributed to diversifying cuisine, spicing staple food, nutri-medicinal values, and cultural practices. People perceived the availability of WEPs to be gradually decreasing. However, WEPs are still abundant and diverse in the study area, and knowledge on their use is well-preserved. These resources provide food and nutrients to local people and can also be a source of cash income. Therefore, the documented information on WEPs may serve as baseline data for further studies on nutritional values and provide guidelines for safe collection. The results also revealed that many wild species are under growing pressure from various anthropogenic factors, suggesting effective community engagement is required for their conservation.
当地采集的野生食用植物(WEP)不仅为原住民和地方社区提供了食物,还带来了现金收入,对确保当地粮食安全具有重要意义。然而,这些植物的用途和可获取性记录很少。本研究旨在列举安纳普尔纳保护区一部分(锡勒斯地区)的 WEP 多样性和 WEP 状况,该地区的人口以古隆族为主。采用实地引导行走、半结构化访谈和实地观察收集民族植物学数据。采用信息共识方法,并进行小组讨论以对信息进行三角验证。进行自由列表和鉴定测试,以评估知情人的知识。使用描述性统计和定量民族植物学方法进行数据分析。从研究区共报告了 72 种野生食用物种,隶属于 46 科 61 属。石蒜科和蔷薇科是优势科,草本植物是优势生活型。果实(34 种)是最常使用的植物部位,其次是嫩枝(16 种)。大多数食用植物在夏季和雨季食用。虽然知情人的年龄和类型对被列举的植物数量有影响,但性别没有影响。关键知情人和 30-45 岁的人比其他受访者群体报告的物种更多。大多数关于 WEP 使用的知识是从父母和亲戚那里获得的。食用这些植物是为了丰富菜肴、给主食调味、具有营养药用价值和文化习俗。人们认为 WEP 的可获取性正在逐渐减少。然而,研究区的 WEP 仍然丰富多样,其使用知识保存完好。这些资源为当地人提供了食物和营养,也可以成为现金收入的来源。因此,所记录的 WEP 信息可以作为进一步研究营养价值的基线数据,并为安全采集提供指导方针。研究结果还表明,许多野生物种受到各种人为因素的生长压力,这表明需要有效的社区参与来保护它们。