Gebre Ashenafi, Gitima Ginjo, Berhanu Yericho
Department of General Forestry, Bonga University, P.O. Box 334, Bonga, Ethiopia.
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Bonga University, P.O. Box 334, Bonga, Ethiopia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 29;15(1):27689. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11862-6.
Ethnobotanical studies explore the relationship between humans and plants, highlighting the critical role of wild edible plants (WEPs) in food security, diets, and income in resource-limited communities. Despite their importance, wild edible plants face growing threats from anthropogenic activities, necessitating urgent documentation and conservation efforts. This study aimed to document indigenous knowledge of WEPs, their diversity, and associated threats in Goba District, Southwest Ethiopia. Ethnobotanical data were collected between February and April 2024 through semi-structured interviews, guided field observations, and group discussions involving 99 respondents, comprising 83 systematically selected general informants and 16 purposively selected key informants. The study identified 17 wild edible plant species belonging to 15 genera and 13 families, with Solanaceae being the most dominant family. Herbs were the most common growth form (47.1%), followed by shrubs (29.4%), climbers (17.6%), and trees (5.9%), with fruits (52.9%) and leaves (29.4%) being the most consumed plant parts. The direct matrix ranking analysis revealed firewood collection (45) and deforestation (44) as the predominant threats to wild edible plants, demonstrating the critical conflict between livelihood-dependent resource extraction and biodiversity conservation imperatives. These findings not only demonstrate the significant role of WEPs in supporting local livelihoods but also emphasize the necessity of implementing sustainable conservation strategies, including community-based protection measures, alternative energy solutions, and knowledge preservation initiatives, to safeguard both biological diversity and traditional ecological knowledge for future generations while informing policy development that integrates WEP conservation into broader food security frameworks.
民族植物学研究探索人类与植物之间的关系，强调野生可食用植物（WEPs）在资源有限社区的粮食安全、饮食和收入方面的关键作用。尽管野生可食用植物很重要，但它们正面临着来自人为活动的日益增长的威胁，因此迫切需要进行记录和保护工作。本研究旨在记录埃塞俄比亚西南部戈巴区野生可食用植物的本土知识、其多样性及相关威胁。2024年2月至4月期间，通过半结构化访谈、实地指导观察以及涉及99名受访者的小组讨论收集了民族植物学数据，其中包括83名系统挑选的一般信息提供者和16名有目的挑选的关键信息提供者。该研究确定了17种野生可食用植物物种，隶属于15个属和13个科，其中茄科是最主要的科。草本植物是最常见的生长形式（47.1%），其次是灌木（29.4%）、攀缘植物（17.6%）和树木（5.9%），果实（52.9%）和叶子（29.4%）是最常食用的植物部位。直接矩阵排序分析表明，砍伐薪柴（45）和森林砍伐（44）是野生可食用植物面临的主要威胁，这表明依赖生计的资源开采与生物多样性保护需求之间存在关键冲突。这些发现不仅证明了野生可食用植物在支持当地生计方面的重要作用，还强调了实施可持续保护战略的必要性，包括基于社区的保护措施、替代能源解决方案和知识保护倡议，以保护生物多样性和传统生态知识，造福子孙后代，同时为将野生可食用植物保护纳入更广泛粮食安全框架的政策制定提供参考。
