Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine最新文献

Background: Mangrove ecosystems recognized for their biodiversity and ecosystem services that offer unique opportunities for sustainable livelihoods such as honey production. This study characterizes the beekeeping practices associated with mangroves in Sabancuy, Campeche, Mexico, emphasizing their ecological and economic significance.

Methods: Through 28 semi-structured surveys, we have analyzed the socioeconomic and ecological perspectives of the local beekeepers operating in these coastal environments. The surveyed beekeepers, with an average age of 49 years and 23.6 years of experience, primarily engage in complementary honey production, leveraging both migratory and stationary apiary systems. Hive management practices include queen replacement, artificial feeding, colony division, and adherence to organic certification protocols.

Results: The study highlights an annual average honey production of 65.37 kg per colony, with peak yields occurring during the transition from dry to rainy seasons (May-June). Integrating floral phenology and phylogenetic frameworks the principal plant resources supporting honeybees, enhancing the sustainability of the mangrove-based beekeeping.

Conclusion: Apiculture not only produces economic opportunities for the local communities; but also contributes to conservation goals by fostering biodiversity and ecosystem restoration. These findings underscore the potential of mangrove beekeeping as a replicable model for sustainable development in other coastal regions worldwide with similar ecosystems. Furthermore, this research seeks to bridge critical knowledge gaps about Apis mellifera in mangrove ecosystems by addressing socio-ecological factors influencing honey production, evaluating its benefits for local communities, and exploring its role within broader conservation strategies.

Background: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) held by Indigenous communities is increasingly recognised as a cost effective, locally adapted complement to instrument-based wildlife monitoring. In southern Gabon, hunter trackers routinely distinguish chimpanzee Pan troglodytes troglodytes and western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla faeces in the field, yet the reliability of these identifications has never been rigorously tested.

Methods: Twenty-two experienced Indigenous participants guided systematic surveys across ~ 10 000 ha of unprotected forest near Makatamangoy and Tébé. For every faecal sample encountered, collaborators reached a consensual species identification using their customary criteria (colour, odour, texture, composition, quantity, associated footprints, vegetation disturbance). Samples (n = 637) were preserved in RNAlater^® and later assigned to species by 12S rRNA mitochondrial sequencing. Agreement between Indigenous and molecular identifications was summarised in a confusion matrix; accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and Cohen's κ were calculated. The prevalence of each empirical criterion was expressed as the proportion of interviewees citing it, and species differences were tested with Fisher's exact tests (α = 0.05).

Results: Indigenous knowledge correctly identified 633 of 637 samples (overall accuracy = 99.37%; κ = 0.987, p < 0.001). Sensitivity was 99.1% for chimpanzee and 99.0% for gorilla, while specificity exceeded 99.6% for both species. Seven primary criteria underpinned identifications; colour (100%) and odour (86.4%) were most frequently evoked. Twelve of 24 sub-criteria differed significantly between species. Chimpanzee faeces were more often described as brown-yellow, soft and abundant with faint heelprints, whereas gorilla faeces were typically black, fibrous, hard and accompanied by pronounced heel and fist prints plus flattened vegetation.

Conclusion: Indigenous trackers in Gabon demonstrate near-perfect accuracy in differentiating great ape faeces, validating TEK as a robust, low-cost tool for primate monitoring. Integrating this expertise into participatory conservation programmes could expand surveillance outside protected areas, enhance early detection of demographic or health changes, and strengthen community stewardship of threatened ape populations.

This essay examines the priorities of marine ethnobiology amid the urgent, increasingly irreversible degradation of our oceans. A dilemma arises between choosing to safeguard the practices and resources most valued for their usefulness or economic worth and prioritizing the preservation and revitalization of traditional knowledge, regardless of its immediate practical applications. I argue that the solution, from the standpoint of sustainable marine management, transcends this dichotomy. The answer lies in reviving, understanding, and transforming all the diverse knowledge systems that emerge from the relationships between humans and marine ecosystems so that urgency does not obscure our historical and holistic understanding of our connection to the sea. Marine ethnobiology bridges this divide by integrating the holistic knowledge of communities and deepening our understanding of these relationships. Strengthening place-based knowledge systems can yield critical nature-based solutions to our global environmental crisis.

Background: Aseer province is a semi-arid region in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. It represents a rich source of ethnobotanical knowledge and plant biodiversity. However, this knowledge has been passed verbally devoid of documentation.

Methods: In the present work, we carried out for the first time an ethnobotanical survey, using quantitative parameters (relative frequency of citation (RFC); informant consensus factor (ICF); fidelity level (FL%); relative popularity level (RPL), and rank-order priority (ROP)), to provide insights into the traditional use of medicinal plants (MPs) in the Aseer province.

Results: One hundred and fifty informants, aged 18 to over 60, mentioned 80 different plant species belonging to 38 families of angiosperms to treat 9 ailments. A comparison with the literature in nearby areas revealed 10 species used as MPs only in the Aseer region. Syzygium aromaticum and Mentha spicata had the highest RFC (0.71). The level of agreement among the informants, for plant species used against dermatological problems, was remarkably high (ICF = 0.88). A lower level of agreement (ICF = 0.66-0.86) was noticed among the informants concerning the use of MPs to treat insect bites, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, skeletomuscular disorders, toothache, mouth inflammation, stress and insomnia, and cold and respiratory tract diseases. In addition, 36 plant species, mentioned by at least 9 informants, had healing efficacity (FL%) ranging between 32 and 100. Among these species, 12 were grouped as popular (RPL = 0.54-1).

Conclusion: The present documentation on MPs can efficiently provide as a basis for additional pharmacological and phytochemical research and conservation studies.

Background: The Tibetan wooden bowls are common utensils and feature obvious Tibetan cultural traits. However, research on Tibetan wooden bowls is limited, especially the ethnobotanical study related to wooden bowl production. This study will explore the traditional knowledge related to the use of plants in the production of Tibetan wooden bowls as well as the cultural connotations and social significance of these bowls in Benzilan Town through an ethnobotanical investigation.

Materials and methods: In August 2024 and March 2025, we employed key informant interviews, semi-structured interviews, and participatory observations to conduct an ethnobotanical investigation of Tibetan wooden bowls in Benzilan Town. Also, we used relative frequency of citation (RFC) and informant consensus factors (ICF) to indicate the different perceptions of different vocational groups and villages in terms of plants used as raw materials. And we documented and analyzed the plants used to lacquer and dye through participatory observation.

Result: We recorded a total of 18 plant species used in different stages of Tibetan wooden bowl production, belonging to 16 families, of which 13 plant species are used as raw materials, and 6 plant species are used for lacquering and dyeing. Among these plant species, Taxus yunnanensis (can be used as both raw material and dye material) and Torreya yunnanensis are under official protection due to their rarity. All the raw materials are collected from these plants in a reasonable manner.

Conclusion: The skilled craftsmen of Benzilan Town possess a wealth of traditional knowledge about Tibetan wood bowl making. This traditional knowledge not only promotes the sustainable use of resources but also contributes to the preservation and inheritance of traditional wood bowl crafting techniques. Furthermore, Tibetan wooden bowls, as important handicrafts, have not only driven the development of ethnic tourism but also stimulated the local economy. More importantly, the flourishing of the Tibetan wooden bowl industry not only helps preserve and pass down Tibetan culture but also fosters the dissemination of Tibetan culture. This case study may also encourage other similar regions to pay more attention to their local traditional handicrafts and provide a basis for subsequent studies.

Background: Peasants in preindustrial Norway and Sweden refused to touch edible macrofungi even during times of scarcity or famines, although this free food resource was abundantly available and authorities encouraged gathering mushrooms to enrich the diet since the eighteenth century. Urbanization and gradual changes of attitudes have turned mushroom gathering in forests and meadows into an important leisure activity. In recent decades, city foragers have discovered the funnel chanterelle, Craterellus tubaeformis (Fr.) Quél. This delicious edible mushroom has quickly become one of the most popular species for hobby gatherers. Our article follows the journey of the funnel chanterelle from an ignored food resource to a popular seasonal delicacy served also in luxury restaurants, discussing how, when and why attitudes and habits have changed.

Methodology: For the historical background, this qualitative ethnomycological study uses a rich corpus of newspapers in the Swedish and Norwegian newspaper databases at the Swedish and Norwegian National Libraries. Data on contemporary mushroom hunter knowledge of C. tubaeformis have been obtained from responses to a questionnaire from 2017 with a hundred respondents. The study has also benefited from the authors' participatory observations, own experiences as mushroom gatherers, and conversations with mushroom pickers in Norway and Sweden. Cookery books, mushroom identification guides and other printed works have also been utilized.

Results: Urbanization caused a change in the relationship with nature: urban foragers are a fairly new phenomenon in Sweden and Norway but they have significant impact on food habits. City foragers discovered and have focused extensively on the funnel chanterelle ever since the end of the 1970s. It is now one of the most popular edible mushrooms in Sweden and Norway, widely publicized in newspapers, discussed in evening classes for novice mushroom gatherers, and presented in books and TV and internet food shows. Media and in recent decades also internet can be identified as the main information sources for urban gatherers. Attitudes have changed among others due to transformations in lifestyle, internationalization, and the fashion of consuming more local foods, as well as a strong need for leisure and perceiving nature as the best place for it, and gathering as a meaningful activity in nature.

Conclusions: The funnel chanterelle is easy to identify, harvest and prepare. It is regarded as wild food with a wide range of uses, harvested for both personal consumption and commercial purposes, and now well-integrated in the Nordic cuisine. The urban population perceives mushrooms and various other wild foods as a normal part of the diet and modern food, in contrast to their peasant ancestors who thought fungi were animal food only. Contemporary human-fungi relations in Scandinavia have multiple mea

Background: In Central Mexico is located an ecoturistic town in Nanacamilpa, state off Tlaxcala. The main activity of the villagers in the summertime is the ecotourism activity including gastronomic use of wild mushrooms. The aim of this paper is to describe the traditional knowledge of mushrooms and discuss the role and perspectives in the business of ecotourism.

Methods: Interviews in town and local school and forest trips with local experts were the main techniques used. To compare the number of mushrooms mentioned by persons of different age category and gender, during a free-listing task, a two-way ANOVA test was used. The local names used by interviewed persons were compared by a Chi-square analysis. A person-mushrooms network was performed using ANINHADO program.

Results: A list of 61 species of mushrooms was generated, including 43 traditional names, selling prices, and criteria for distinguishing edible mushrooms during collection. No differences were found in the mushroom species mentioned by gender, indicating that both men and women prefer the same species. In the case of 10 most mentioned mushrooms by age group, the mushroom mentioned was dependent on the age class. The network analysis shows that experts are familiar with nearly all the mushroom species mentioned (49.0%), whereas non-experts only recognize the most notable species (9.0%).

Conclusions: Several wild mushroom species are important to the community of San Felipe Hidalgo; however, Lyophyllum spp. have true cultural significance. It is necessary to include activities related to mushrooms at school level to reinforce traditional knowledge of young people. Expert mushroom collectors are reliable and qualified people for the identification of wild species.

Background: This study explores how socioeconomic factors and the availability of medicinal plant resources influence the perception of disease risk in a local medical system. It addresses the role of traditional knowledge and the care and prevention practices used by the community, highlighting the interactions between cultural, social and environmental aspects.

Methods: The research was conducted in the community of Serra Grande, Lagoa do Ouro, Pernambuco, with 95 participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data on socioeconomic factors, perceived risk of disease (using ranking and Likert scale), and perceived availability of medicinal plants. The data were analyzed with Generalized Linear Models using R software.

Results: Age was the only socioeconomic factor with a significant influence on the perception of risk of disease, being higher among individuals aged between 51 and 70. In addition, the results indicated that the perception of risk of disease is negatively influenced by the availability of medicinal plant resources, i.e., a lower availability of plants is associated with a higher perception of risk. 117 species of medicinal plants used by the community were identified, with the Fabaceae and Lamiacae families standing out.

Conclusions: The study highlights the complexity of risk perception in rural communities, influenced by social, cultural and environmental factors. Effective public health policies must integrate these dynamics, creating adaptive strategies that strengthen community resilience and preserve traditional knowledge and resources essential for health.

Background: The traditional medicine of the indigenous Pataxó Hãhãhãi (PH) people, Brazil, is in jeopardy because of the significant fragmentation of their biological and cultural aspects. In addition to providing plants that can treat the complaints that these people face, the current endeavor has attempted to retrieve and document their traditional and local medicine, which is nearly forgotten.

Methods: Using the Participatory Ethnobotany approach, Pataxó Hãhãhãi, H.D.S. (author), an indigenous person who lives in the PH territory, led the project from outlining the objectives with his people to fieldwork. It was collectively decided to focus on the plants involved in the three most common complaints of the PH people: diabetes, worms, and hypertension. The plants recommended by the experts were collected, and data on their traditional and academic knowledge were compiled.

Results: The Participatory Ethnobotany approach proved to be effective, as it facilitated impacts on several phases of the work. The 175 medicinal plants, as well as their ancient healing practices indicated by 19 experts, were recovered and registered. Forty-three species were indicated for those complaints, and 79% of them supported their use in the scientific literature.

Conclusion: In an unprecedented way, an indigenous ethnobotanist retrieved and documented the plants and medicinal practices of his people, which were subjected to many attacks and fragmentations over the years. People learned about the recovery of plants for their three primary illnesses, making their use safe and efficient.

Background: In Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, almost 99% of the population eats a variety of edible caterpillars. Many plant species used by humans are also eaten by these caterpillars. Intensive human use of these plants could lead to their gradual extinction. This would directly affect the caterpillars that feed on them and reduce their protein supply to local populations. Assessing these pressures requires a basic understanding of the species involved.

Methods: Semi-structured surveys were conducted with 180 randomly selected informants in the two most populated areas of Kwilu (Masi-Manimba and Idiofa). Questions focused on the 'most consumed' edible caterpillars (i.e. those that are best known and most eaten), their host plants, and how the local population uses them. Caterpillars and branches of host plants were collected during the survey visits. The importance of each cited caterpillar species, their host plant, and the host plant's use category by the local population was assessed.

Results: Seventeen species of 'most consumed' edible caterpillars were recorded, with the Saturniidae being predominant. They feed on the leaves of fifty-one plant species, mostly Fabaceae. There are seven main use categories of caterpillar host plants. Among these, wood charcoal, construction, and slash-and-burn agriculture are estimated to be the primary factors causing the destruction of caterpillar's host plants. Petersianthus macrocarpus (P. Beauv.) Liben and Ricinodendron heudelotii (Baill.) Pierre ex Heckel are preferred by the 'most consumed' caterpillars. Both plant species, along with Erythrophleum africanum (Benth.), hold great cultural importance in Kwilu and are under significant pressure.

Conclusions: The promotion of edible caterpillars through the establishment of plantations for the semi-rearing would contribute to the conservation of these species and make them more available to the local population. Caterpillar preference testing, diet modification and interaction studies between these species would enable better management.