Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine最新文献

Background: Chilika Lagoon, India, is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to over 200 fish species and supports the livelihoods of over 400 000 fishers. A detailed record of fish names was previously undertaken; however, our initial field observations revealed differences in fish naming from those documented in the literature.

Methods: This study examines local nomenclature of Chilika fishes in greater detail, with an emphasis on intra-cultural variation in fisher knowledge by taking an age-gender-village approach. Fieldwork was executed in three fishing villages across the lagoon by showing 56 colour photos of important fish to 108 local community members. Within each village, an equal number of respondents were selected across each of the three age groups and genders. The local name was documented for each fish, and the responses were analyzed according to age, gender, and village.

Results: Across all photos, a total of 753 unique names were recorded, with many of these names attributed to phonetic differences. No notable age and gender differences in fish identification exist, except men were able to identify several fishes with higher success than women, and differences in fish naming exist across the three villages.

Conclusions: This study revealed that the local names ascribed to Chilika fish were more extensive than documented in previous literature. This study emphasizes the importance of surveying basin-wide to capture the range of names associated with each fish species.

The progressive erosion of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Java, a process exacerbated by colonial disruption, has created a critical disjuncture in biodiversity data. This research examined the 19th-century Javanese "Pawukon" manuscript-a calendrical divination system-as a biocultural archive to reconstruct historical avifaunal diversity and investigate its implications for contemporary conservation paradigms. Through a multidisciplinary framework integrating philological analysis, ethno-ornithology, and ecological assessment, this study catalogues more than 45 avian illustrations, correlating them with 51 potential species, broadly classified into songbirds, raptors, piscivorous birds, and coastal birds. Comparative analysis with contemporary IUCN Red List data elucidates a significant conservation status shift: of the identified taxa, 36B are classified as Least Concern, one Data Deficient, while a substantial subset faces threat, including eight Near Threatened, two Vulnerable, two Endangered, and two Critically Endangered. A critical finding is the predominance of songbirds among the threatened categories. The manuscript evidences an ethno-ornithological framework, where birds functioned as potent cultural symbols (e.g., raptors denoting sovereignty) and aesthetic commodities. This historical baseline underscores a profound paradox, wherein cultural practices once fostering human-avian connectivity, notably aviculture, now manifest as a primary extinction driver through commercial trade. This study posits that such historical manuscripts provide an indispensable benchmark for quantifying anthropogenic impact on biodiversity. It concludes that effective conservation strategy must be grounded in the integration of TEK, advocating for policies that leverage cultural symbolism and transition avicultural practices toward sustainability to safeguard Java's biocultural heritage.

Background: Indonesia holds immense biocultural diversity, yet ethnobotanical data remain fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes medicinal plant use across the archipelago to identify cross-cultural patterns, define a core ethnomedicinal flora, and critically appraise methodological rigor.

Methods: In adherence to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, primary field studies were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, and GARUDA. Scientific names were harmonized using Plants of the World Online (POWO), and therapeutic indications were mapped to ICPC-2 disease categories. Methodological quality was assessed using a modified JBI checklist.

Results: A total of 91 studies were analyzed, yielding 3,202 use-reports for 791 medicinal plant species. Documentation was found to be geographically skewed toward Sumatra and Java, leaving Eastern Indonesia significantly underrepresented. A shared medicinal flora of 239 species was identified across multiple ethnic groups, dominated by versatile plants such as Zingiber officinale and Orthosiphon aristatus. High consensus was observed for acute conditions (e.g., Psidium guajava for diarrhoea), whereas chronic diseases like hypertension demonstrated diverse plant utilization. Quality assessment revealed that 89% of the included studies lacked explicit ethics reporting, and 32% relied on secondary identification without voucher specimens.

Conclusions: A culturally salient core of medicinal plants was identified alongside unique regional adaptations. However, the existing literature is compromised by weak taxonomic validation and non-standardized reporting. Future research priorities must include the documentation of neglected regions and the enforcement of rigorous, voucher-based methodologies.

Background: Cultural groups play a key role in shaping and maintaining cultivated diversity, yet their influence is rarely considered in conservation or agricultural development initiatives. However, cultural groups sharing the same territory may hold distinct preferences, knowledge, and practices, which must be acknowledged. Despite recent advances, the processes linking ethnolinguistic identities and cultivated diversity and diversification process remain poorly understood.

Methods: We applied a mixed-methods approach combining a quantitative description of cultivated species frequency and number with a qualitative analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews on farmers motivations to cultivate the different species as well as diversified species assemblage. We compared two ethnolinguistic groups coexisting in the same semi-arid region of Madagascar but with distinct settlement histories, one considered migrant (Antandroy) and the other long-term settled (Masikoro).

Results: We found notable differences in socio-economic conditions and crop portfolio between groups. For some crops, motivations were similar, while others revealed contrasts in cultural and symbolic importance, culinary preferences, and economic traits (e.g., seed access, treatment requirements). Although both groups cultivate a comparable number of species on average, their incentives to diversify differ: Antandroy farmers emphasized spreading food availability through time and the risk-reducing effect of diversity, whereas these motivations were not consistently reported by Masikoro farmers. These patterns reflect intertwined cultural and socio-economic specificities.

Conclusions: Our findings underline the importance of accounting for cultural group differences in crop choices and crop diversity management, even when these groups coexist in the same landscape. Integrating these perspectives is essential for designing more effective conservation and agricultural development initiatives, particularly those supporting crop diversification in risk-prone regions.

Terminalia glabrescens Mart. is a native tree widely exploited in Northeastern Brazil, particularly known for its medicinal and timber properties. Although it is frequently harvested, the consequences of extractive practices have not been assessed; therefore, this study examined the uses and influences of extractivism on the species population status. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 86 participants, who mentioned 27 different uses across six categories: medicinal, utensils, construction, fuel, food, and fodder. Three plots of 50 × 50 m were demarcated, where individuals were identified, measured for diameter, and their height. The study indicated a preference for collecting trees of tall and intermediate size and thickness, which are considered ideal and versatile for various uses. An association was found between the forms of use and the gender of the participants, with men having more citations in all use categories, particularly in the timber context. It was observed that the population of the species did not fit the "inverted J" model, suggesting that extractivism may primarily affect trees in intermediate size classes. Although this study does not directly assess levels of exploitation, the results may be attributed mainly to timber exploitation.

Edible flora is one of the most relevant groups for the survival and food security of socioeconomically vulnerable communities in Brazil. We aimed to provide an overview of research advances in the country, record the known edible biodiversity, national consumption patterns across different communities (rural, traditional, and urban), and the geographic and ethnic distribution of the articles, while identifying gaps and possibilities for future studies. To this end, a literature review was conducted in the SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for the indexing of ethnobiological research. Following detailed analyses, 163 articles were included in our database. The research was concentrated in the Northeast and North regions, primarily in rural communities. A total of 1,079 botanical species were cited (754 native, 325 exotic), with the most diverse families being Myrtaceae Juss., Arecaceae Bercht. & J. Presl., and Fabaceae Lindl. The chosen predictors (urbanity gradient, phytogeographic domains, and types of traditional communities) could not distinguish the analyzed groups according to their similarity in food diversity, although some detectable statistical differences exist, especially when considering the type of traditional community and native edible species. Gaps in Brazilian local and traditional ecological knowledge regarding species diversity for food security and its cultural relationship, in addition to the low scientific representation of traditional groups, influenced these results. Studies on the internal variability of edible species composition are important as they allow for an understanding of whether the characteristics that differentiate communities, regarding the richness of utilized edible species, are related to ethnic, cultural, and geographical delimitations and which groups overlap these barriers.

The Doctrine of signature suggests there are parallels between a plant's appearance, structure, or therapeutic functions that it may have on the corporal systems of the human body as well as the disease it treats. This concept, often considered more of a traditional belief than an established scientific theory has been dismissed as primitive and unscientific or as a mnemonic aid. However, direct tests of these theoretical predictions are rare, suggesting most of these criticisms are premature. We tested one of the most popular doctrine of signatures that red sap plants treat blood disorders. We systematically reviewed the literature for a comprehensive list of red sap-containing plant species across the world, randomly selected 200 other plant species without red sap in the same regions, and recorded the medicinal uses of all species. We demonstrate that species containing red sap were three times more likely to be used in the treatment of blood-related disorders. In addition, similarly to plant species used in the treatment of blood disorders, species with red sap were also phylogenetically close. This strong relationship is most likely due to red quinones often present in plants with red sap which are known for their efficacy in wound healing. Our straightforward approach can be used by ethnobiologists for more tests of other doctrines of signatures. It is important to establish a mechanistic understanding of the links between signature, plant secondary chemistry, and therapeutic efficacy.

Background: This study examines indigenous water governance among the Nung and Tay people in northern Vietnam, focusing on Lang Son Province, a China-Vietnam borderland adjacent to Guangxi. While earlier ethnographic studies have documented traditional irrigation techniques among Nung and Tay communities, less is known about how these systems are currently organized, negotiated, and rearticulated under changing environmental conditions and institutional frameworks.

Methods: The analysis draws on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2024 and 2025 in three localities of Lang Son Province, combining participant observation, in-depth interviews, and on-site surveys of irrigation infrastructure. Sixty-five Nung and Tay farmers were interviewed to document contemporary practices, decision-making processes, and local interpretations of water use and management. Ethnographic materials were thematically analyzed with attention to both technical arrangements and their social and ritual dimensions.

Results: The study shows that water management among the Nung and Tay functions as a community-based governance system centered on "phai" (weirs), "muong" (canals), "lai", and "lin". New fieldwork observations indicate that water-sharing practices are actively renegotiated in response to increasingly irregular rainfall, shifting cropping calendars, and the implementation of state irrigation and land-use policies. Customary rules and ritual practices continue to legitimize water allocation and communal authority, while also providing flexible frameworks for adjusting labor coordination and managing emerging conflicts. Comparison with selected Zhuang communities in Guangxi reveals shared cosmological understandings of water alongside contemporary differences in governance mechanisms and modes of institutional integration across the border. These findings challenge static representations of indigenous irrigation as a harmonious and self-regulating tradition, revealing it instead as a negotiated and uneven governance system shaped by ecological stress and institutional asymmetries.

Conclusion: By foregrounding recent ethnographic evidence, this study advances existing scholarship by demonstrating how indigenous irrigation systems among the Nung and Tay operate as adaptive, socially embedded governance arrangements rather than static technical traditions. The findings highlight the capacity of indigenous water governance to respond to climatic and policy pressures and underscore its relevance for culturally grounded and sustainable agricultural development in upland border regions.