High Mountain Arid Agriculture Research Institute, SKUAST-K, Stakna, Leh, Ladakh, India.
Wildlife Institute of India, PO Box 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248001, India.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 Mar 14;20(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00670-3.
Traditional knowledge (TK) in Ladakh encapsulates a repository of experimental wisdom cultivated over millennia. Despite this cultural wealth, dwindling interest among the younger generations in the region's age-old practices underscores the urgency to document TK. The current study investigates the diverse usage of plants in Surru, Wakha and Lower Indus valleys of Western Ladakh exploring the influence of socioeconomic and ecological factors.
A stratified random sample approach was adopted to select 540 respondents for gathering information of useful plants through interviews and questionnaires. Participant observation, questionnaires, open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Free listing was done to create an extensive list of plants and their uses. Ethnobotanical metrics such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), cultural value (CV) index and cultural importance (CI) index were computed to assess species applicability. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to discern significant differences in knowledge levels based on valleys, gender, education and religion using TK as a response variable.
Altogether, we recorded 246 plant species under various ethnobotanical uses from Western Ladakh. These include medicinal (126), fodder (124), wild ornamentals (86), food (81), fuel wood (54), dye (20), religious (31) and others (34). Novel plant reports include Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt and Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz. The dominant plant family is Asteraceae with 35 species. Suru valley exhibits the highest number of cited plants followed by Wakha-chu and Lower Indus valleys (192, 168 and 152 species, respectively).
Disparities in plant use understanding are evident among different groups, prompting further investigation through intercultural comparisons. Plants such as Arnebia euchroma, Juniperus semiglobosa, and Artemisia species emerge with cultural importance. Gender, valley affiliation, religious background and the remoteness of a village all influence local plant knowledge. These variations are linked to socioeconomic disparities among communities.
拉达克的传统知识（TK）包含了数千年来积累的实验智慧库。尽管拥有这种文化财富，但该地区年轻一代对古老习俗的兴趣日益减弱，这突显了记录 TK 的紧迫性。本研究调查了拉达克西部地区的 Surru、Wakha 和下印度河谷中植物的多种用途，探讨了社会经济和生态因素的影响。
采用分层随机抽样方法，选择 540 名受访者，通过访谈和问卷收集有关有用植物的信息。进行了参与式观察、问卷、开放式和半结构式访谈以收集数据。进行自由列名以创建广泛的植物及其用途清单。计算了相对频率引用（RFC）、相对重要性指数（RI）、文化价值（CV）指数和文化重要性（CI）指数等民族植物学指标，以评估物种适用性。此外，使用 TK 作为响应变量，使用单向方差分析（ANOVA）来区分基于山谷、性别、教育和宗教的知识水平的显著差异。
我们总共记录了来自拉达克西部地区的 246 种具有各种民族植物学用途的植物。这些包括药用植物（126 种）、饲料植物（124 种）、野生观赏植物（86 种）、食用植物（81 种）、燃料植物（54 种）、染料植物（20 种）、宗教植物（31 种）和其他植物（34 种）。新的植物报告包括 Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt 和 Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz。占优势的植物科是菊科，有 35 种。Suru 山谷引用的植物数量最多，其次是 Wakha-chu 和下印度河谷（分别为 192、168 和 152 种）。
不同群体之间对植物使用的理解存在差异，需要通过跨文化比较进行进一步调查。Arnebia euchroma、Juniperus semiglobosa 和 Artemisia 等植物具有文化重要性。性别、山谷归属、宗教背景和村庄的偏远程度都影响当地的植物知识。这些差异与社区之间的社会经济差异有关。
