Comparison of wild edible plant diversity and foraging strategies in two aboriginal communities of northwestern Patagonia

We have compared edible plant richness, diversity and differential patterns of use in two Mapuche communities of Argentina. The populations of Rams and Cayulef are located in a herbaceous steppe, far from the temperate forests of northwestern Patagonia where their ancestors lived in the past. Ecological concepts and methods, such as diversity indices, niche breadth and optimal foraging theory have been used in this comparative study. Our results indicate that the diversity of wild plants used in Rams and Cayulef is associated with the variety of gathering environments they visit. When comparing diversity indices among the three environments within each community, in Cayulef we found the highest diversity indices for steppe species and the lowest for forest plants. In contrast, in Rams the niche breadth is similar in all environments, indicating an ample exploration and use of edible wild plants. Cost and benefit trade-offs seem to be considered in both communities when edible plants are collected. Nevertheless, we found that the people from Rams not only utilize a greater richness of wild plants than the Cayulef people, but also use more nutritious resources, spend more time traveling to the gathering sites and a longer handling time in preparing these edible plants. This study has quantitatively shown that the restricted access to Pehuen forest (Araucaria araucana) is the main factor which seems to limit wild plant diversity used in these Mapuche communities.     

Nontimber Forest Product Use in Two Human Populations from Northwest Patagonia: A Quantitative Approach

The ancestral tradition of gathering nontimber products in the Andean forests of Patagonia seems to be on the verge of disappearing. Edible wild plant knowledge and differential patterns of use have been compared in two populations of different economic and cultural backgrounds—a small rural Mapuche community (Rams), and an outlying population (El Frutillar). The first is located in an herbaceous steppe far from the nearest Andean forest while the second is located outside the town of Bariloche, near the forests of Nahuel Huapi National Park. Semistructured interviews and related ecological variables were compared in both communities. In the past, both communities utilized nontimber forest products from the Andean Temperate forests. However, today, cost and benefit trade-offs appear to affect when and what edible resources are collected. The people from El Frutillar gather fewer wild plants in spite of the high plant abundance and the notorious food scarcity they suffer. The Mapuche people use more nutritious resources, more native species, spend longer traveling to the gathering site, and longer handling time preparing edible plants.     

The maintenance of wild edible plant gathering in a Mapuche community of patagonia

The Mapuche communities of Argentina and Chile have a vast knowledge of useful plants from temperate forests of Patagonia. However, present processes of transculturation and uprooting seem to have caused a decline in wild plant gathering. This is a case study of a Mapuche community that now lives far away from the forests that their ancestors inhabited. Nineteen families from the Rams Mapuche community (83% of the total population) were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire, with the aim of finding out which edible wild species are known and still used, and what factors, according to the people perception, have caused the decline. People mentioned a total of 49 edible wild plants including four types of resources: Araucaria araucana seeds, the fruits and roots of bushes and herbs, and leaves of edible weeds. Factors such as the difficulty access to forests which no longer belong to them, drought and soil deterioration from overgrazing were indicated by people acting negatively on the preservation of the knowledge of plants in the younger generations.     

Patterns of use and knowledge of wild edible plants in distinct ecological environments: a case study of a Mapuche community from northwestern Patagonia

The multiple use of distinct ecological environments in the search for wild resources has been practiced since ancestral times in aboriginal communities inhabiting northwestern Patagonia. This paper examines the actual use and knowledge of wild edible plants in a Mapuche community presently settled in one of the most arid areas of Patagonia, far from the temperate forests where their ancestors used to live. The difference between knowledge of and use of wild plants is analyzed emphasizing that these differences could contribute to the understanding of eroding processes believed to be occurring in the community. These objectives are studied quantitatively by utilizing ethnobotanical indices, partially derived from ecological theory. Our results indicate that the Paineo dwellers still utilize multiple ecological gathering environments and have thorough plant knowledge of both native and exotic species. The Andean forest, more than 50km away from this community, is the environment from which the Paineo dwellers know the greatest total richness and the highest diversity of wild edible plants, followed by the Monte–Steppe species and lastly, those growing around their homes. The transmission of wild edible plant knowledge in the Paineo community diminishes with age, and the forest plants are the most vulnerable to loss. Our results have shown that the knowledge and consumption of wild edible plants follows a pattern according to ecological conditions of the gathering environments, as well as the cultural heritage of the Paineo people.     

Summer Cattle Transhumance and Wild Edible Plant Gathering in a Mapuche Community of Northwestern Patagonia

Cattle transhumance has been practiced since colonial times in Mapuche communities of northwestern Patagonia, which travelled seasonally along the Andean valleys from arid lands towards temperate forests. In this study, we analyzed how this migratory practice affects the abundance and variety of wild edible plants utilized by the Mapuche community of Paineo. Patterns of use for those who practice transhumance were compared with those who do not utilizing ecological variables. Gender and age were also evaluated. The Paineo people collect wild plants in 3 different gathering sites: the A. araucana forest, the Travesía, and their dwelling surroundings. However, those who practice summer transhumance utilize a more diverse variety and a tan greater quantity of wild edible forest plants than those who do not. Moreover, the nutritional value of plants collected by transhumants is greater than those used by non-transhumants. Men practice summer cattle transhumance in a greater proportion than do women and consume significantly more wild edible plants. In contrast, plants from their dwellings and from the Travesía are used in a similar way by both sexes. It was observed that the elderly do not presently participate in transhumance. Our results illustrate a change in wild plant knowledge influenced by the transformation of the summer transhumance pattern.     

Dietary use of wild plant resources in the Sikkim Himalaya, India

The edible wild plants are greatly valued throughout the Himalayan region and serve as an important source of food for indigenous communities. This paper describes the botanical richness, elevational distribution and dietary use of the edible wild plant resources from the Sikkim Himalaya (Eastern Himalaya), many with promising potential. A total of 190 wild plant species have been screened from the Sikkim Himalaya, this derived from 143 genera and 78 families and accounting for nearly 15% of total edible wild plants resources of India. Of the total, 65% were edible for their fruits, 22% for leaves/shoots, 7% for flowers and 3% for roots/ rhizomes. Nearly 91 wild edible species were recorded from low-hills, 70 from mid-hills and 28 species from high-hill areas. Within Sikkim state, the North and East districts represent maximum diversity of edible wild plants due to the wilderness and inaccessibility to most of the habitats. An average rural family annually consumes nearly 8 types of edible wild plants, and a few species provide over five meals in a season. Selected plants also form a source of earning to a few families that sell them in local markets. It is suggested that the high diversity of edible plants needs to be conserved for future use. Some species may be grown in traditional agroforestry systems and on marginal lands of otherwise low agricultural value. Such measures may help protect wild plant resources in their natural habitats.     

宁夏野生食用植物资源的调查与信息数据库的建立

通过野外调查与室内工作相结合,对宁夏野生食用植物资源进行调查与统计,建立宁夏野生食用植物资源数据库,并提出了宁夏野生食用植物资源开发和利用存在的问题。结果初步调查到宁夏野生食用资源植物共计74科186属348种10类,其中饮料及野果类植物与野菜植物具有一定的开发潜力,应该在这些野生食用资源植物中进行进一步的筛选,最终主要集中于人工驯化与栽培上。此外针对宁夏野生食用植物资源开发和利用面临的问题,需加强对宁夏野生食用植物资源状况的调查,并进行深入的研究,在前面所做的基础研究上,筛选特色的野生食用资源植物进行合理的开发和利用,之后对筛选出的野生食用资源植物进行人工栽培等工作,在土地可持续利用的前提下,研究野生食用资源植物与其他栽培作物间作的模式,同时在发展过程中通过收集珍贵濒危野生植物资源植物的种质资源,而对其加以保护。     

基诺族传统食用植物的民族植物学研究

基诺族是国务院１９７９年确认的我国第５６个民族,至今仍依赖于歇农业即刀耕火种为生,自给自足的自然经济是他们主要经济形式。除在轮歇地内栽培少数几种作物外,基诺族的菜肴绝大部分采自其周围的林地、山野。本文记述了基诺族的传统食用植物１７９种,其中野菜类８６种、野生水果类３７种,栽培植物５４种。     

Response of a Wild Edible Plant to Human Disturbance: Harvesting Can Enhance the Subsequent Yield of Bamboo Shoots

Wild edible plants, ecological foodstuffs obtained from forest ecosystems, grow in natural fields, and their productivity depends on their response to harvesting by humans. Addressing exactly how wild edible plants respond to harvesting is critical because this knowledge will provide insights into how to obtain effective and sustainable ecosystem services from these plants. We focused on bamboo shoots of Sasa kurilensis, a popular wild edible plant in Japan. We examined the effects of harvesting on bamboo shoot productivity by conducting an experimental manipulation of bamboo shoot harvesting. Twenty experimental plots were prepared in the Teshio Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University and were assigned into two groups: a harvest treatment, in which newly emerged edible bamboo shoots were harvested (n = 10); and a control treatment, in which bamboo shoots were maintained without harvesting (n = 10). In the first year of harvesting (2013), bamboo shoot productivities were examined twice; i.e., the productivity one day after harvesting and the subsequent post-harvest productivity (2–46 days after harvesting), and we observed no difference in productivity between treatments. This means that there was no difference in original bamboo shoot productivity between treatments, and that harvesting did not influence productivity in the initial year. In contrast, in the following year (2014), the number of bamboo shoots in the harvested plots was 2.4-fold greater than in the control plots. These results indicate that over-compensatory growth occurred in the harvested plots in the year following harvesting. Whereas previous research has emphasized the negative impact of harvesting, this study provides the first experimental evidence that harvesting can enhance the productivity of a wild edible plant. This suggests that exploiting compensatory growth, which really amounts to less of a decline in productivity, may be s a key for the effective use of wild edible plants.     

中国天山野果林种子植物组成及资源状况分析

中国天山野果林种子植物共计60科237属435种,种类组成趋向于集中在少数科内,区系优势现象相当明显,反映出野果林自然环境的特殊性与区系的过渡性。在这些植物种类中有国家重点保护植物9种、中国珍稀濒危保护植物3种、自治区重点保护植物9种;林区野生植物资源非常丰富,统计结果表明：野生果树40种、食用植物30种、饲用植物以种、蜜源植物111种、观赏植物132种、香料植物如种、药用植物131种。文中对各类资源植物的特征进行了分析和讨论,并就野果林的保护及可持续利用提出建议。     

Wild edible plants of the Sikkim Himalaya: Marketing, value addition and implications for management

This paper presents data on marketing, value addition and management concerns of the wild edible plants of the Sikkim Himalaya. At least 23 weekly markets, locally called ‘ Hats ’, have been identified in the state, and three markets, viz. Gangtok, Namchi and Singtam, were studied in detail, for one year, with reference to the availability, quantity sold and retailers involved with the marketing of wild edible species. A total of 44 wild edible species have been recorded to be sold annually in the three markets. Among all the species,Spondias axillaris was sold in highest quantity and more retailers were involved in its business than for any other wild edible plant. Other important species wereMachilus edulis, Diplazium esculentum, Eleagnus latifolia,Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, Agaricus and Baccaurea sapida. The rural economics of wild edible plants is estimated to be some 140 tons per annum, and the prices for various species have increased over the years. At Gangtok, prices increased 3 to 6 times from 1981 to 1996–1997. Analysis of the field data showed that the wild edible plants were an important source of income to the plant dwellers and subsistence for farm families. Value addition was done to a few wild edible species, and cost-benefit analysis showed that the income from the fruits could be increased by at least 3–5 times after making pickles, squash and jam. It was recorded that plant dwellers have open access for the collection of these plant resources, which often leads to their over exploitation, and the local state government at present lacks policies and strategies for protecting and promoting wild edible plants in any of its programs. It is suggested that suitable conservation practices and policies need to be formulated to conserve these plants in the wild habitats within the state.     

Wild edible plants of the Sikkim Himalaya: Nutritive values of selected species

The wild edible plants form an important constituent of traditional diets in the Himalaya. In the Sikkim Himalaya a total of 190 species have been screened as edible species out of which nearly 47 species come to the market. The present paper deals with nutritive values of 27 most commonly consumed wild edible plants in the Sikkim Himalaya. Of 27 plant species that were analyzed for their nutritive values, 22 were edible for their fruits and five for leaves/shoots. Among different plant parts, generally higher nutrient concentration was recorded for leaves, followed by new shoots and fruits. For different species the crude fiber content ranged between 2.15–39.90%, and the total soluble salts between 4.66–21.0%, and the vitamin C content from 6-286 mg/100 g. The fat content was determined high in the fruits of Castanopsis species, Machilus edulis, and Cinnamomum species, while the protein content was highest in Hippophae rhamnoides, Cuc-umis melo, and Eleagnus latifolia. The total carbohydrate content ranged from 32-88% in the fruits of various wild edibles, the reducing sugar from 1.25–12.42%, total sugar from 2.10–25.09%, the lignin content varied from 9.05–39.51%, the hemicellulose between 25.63-55.71% and cellulose content varied from 9.57–33.19% in different species. Among the various mac-ronutrients estimated in the plant samples of different wild edible species, nitrogen was present in highest quantity, followed by potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium. Mi-cronutrients, such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper contents were analyzed in different plant parts of various wild edible species. The iron content was higher in leaves and new shoots. The study shows that wild edible plants are good source of nutrient for rural population, and also well comparable with various commercial fruits. It is suggested that a few wild edible species need to be grown for commercial cultivation and adopted in the traditional agroforestry systems, which will lead to reduced pressure on them in natural forest stands as well as producing economic benefits for poor farmers.     

Wild edible plants of the Sikkim Himalaya: Nutritive values of selected species

Wild edible plants form an important constituent of traditional diets in the Himalaya. In the Sikkim Himalaya a total of 190 species have been screened as edible species out of which nearly 47 species come to the market. The present paper deals with nutritive values of 27 most commonly consumed wild edible plants in the Sikkim Himalaya. Of 27 plant species that were analyzed for their nutritive values, 22 were edible for their fruits and five for leaves/shoots. Among different plant parts, generally higher nutrient concentration was recorded for leaves, followed by new shoots and fruits. For different species the crude fiber content ranged between 2.15–39.90%, and the total soluble salts between 4.66–21.00%, and the vitamin C content from 6–286 mg/100 g. The fat content was determined high in the fruits ofCastanopsis hystrix, Machilus edulis, andCinnamomum species, while the protein content was highest inHippophae rhamnoides, Cucumis melo, andEleagnus latifolia. The total carbohydrate content ranged from 32–88% in the fruits of various wild edibles, the reducing sugar from 1.25–12.42%, total sugar from 2.10–25.09%, the lignin content varied from 9.05–39.51%, the hemicellulose between 25.63–55.71% and cellulose content varied from 9.57–33.19% in different species. Among the various macronutrients estimated in the plant samples of different wild edible species, nitrogen was present in highest quantity, followed by potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and sodium. Micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper contents were analyzed in different plant parts of various wild edible species. The iron content was higher in leaves and new shoots. The nutritive values of certain wild edible species determined in this study are comparable with various commercial fruits. It is suggested that a few wild edible species need to be grown for commercial cultivation and adopted in the traditional agroforestry systems, which will lead to reduced pressure on them in natural forest stands as well as producing economic benefits for poor farmers.     

Edible wild plants of the Chorote Indians, Gran Chaco, Argentina

The Chorote Indians are hunter-gatherers and fishermen from north-west Argentina and south-west Paraguay who belong to the Mataco-Maká linguistic family. Their edible plants are identified by botanical and vernacular names, the parts employed and modes of preparation and consumption. The Chorote people use 57 plant species as a source of food, which they consume in 118 different ways. Five new edible species, that yield seven plant foods, are reported here for the first time for Chaquenian ethnic groups. However, only a few wild plant foods are in frequent use today, with most being used occasionally, infrequently or not at all. A cross-cultural comparison with four neighbouring ethnic groups reveals that one third of their plant foods are exclusive to the Chorote people, despite the fact that they share most of their edible plants with the other groups. This article is the first contribution to an understanding of the Chorote's ethnobotany and to a comparison of interethnic relationships concerning their edible plant resources.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 153 , 73–85.     

Traditional knowledge of wild and semi-wild edible plants used in Bali (Indonesia) to maintain biological and cultural diversity

We report the first ethnobotanical study of wild and semi-wild food plants used by the inhabitants of the villages of Bali. Considering the urgent need to avoid the loss of this traditional knowledge, 50 informants from 13 “Bali Aga” villages across four districts were selected for our field investigation. Ethnobotanical data were collected through different interview methods (direct observation, semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, individual discussions, focus-group discussions, and questionnaires). The 86 recorded species belonging to 41 families and 68 genera, including angiosperms (82) and pteridophytes (4), are categorized as wild (33) and semi-wild (53), of which 63.64% are native to Malesian, Indian, and Indochinese. Wild and semi-wild edible plants play an important role in providing the Balinese with various essential nutrients. Fourteen species (16.28%) are also used medicinally. In recent years, with the growth of the tourist industry, the wild habitats of edible plants have been severely impacted. Traditional knowledge related to wild and semi-wild edible plants is also endangered. Therefore, the management of these resources and the preservation of biodiversity along with indigenous knowledge are of primary importance.     

Cultural,economic, and ecological factors influencing management of wild plants and mushrooms interchanged in Purépecha markets of Mexico

Background

Traditional markets outstandingly contribute to conservation of biocultural diversity, social relations, and cultural values. These markets reflect life strategies and forms people of a region interact with their biodiversity and territories, as well as traditional ecological knowledge and management practices. To understand the factors motivating plant and mushroom management, we analyzed the resources cultural and economic values, their role in people’s subsistence, and the relation of these values with the resources spatial and temporal availability. Our study based on the supposition that traditional markets are settings of interchange of resources with the highest importance for people’s life in a region. Also, that the cultural, economic, and ecological factors influence values of the resources, and the demand on them determine pressures on the most valuable resources which, when scarce, motivate management innovation, otherwise become extinct.

Methods

We documented cultural, economic, and ecological aspects, as well as management techniques of wild and weedy plants and mushrooms interchanged in three traditional markets of the Pátzcuaro Lake region, in central-western Mexico. For doing that, from February 2015 to March 2018, we conducted 175 visits to markets and 89 semi-structured interviews to producers, gatherers, and sellers of wild and weedy plants and mushrooms. Based on participant observation and interviews, we identified variables related to culture, economic, and ecological aspects, as well as management regimes of resources and management systems, which were documented and used as indicators for quantitative analyses. Through principal components analyses (PCA), we determined the indexes of cultural and economic importance (ICEI), management intensity (IMI), and ecological risk (IR) of the resources studied. For conducting that, we classified plant and mushroom species according to their cultural, economic, ecological, and technological indicators, respectively. The score of the first principal component was considered as the index for each group of variables, respectively. To identify relations between cultural importance and risk, we performed linear regression analyses between ICEI and IR indexes.

Results

We recorded 57 species of wild and weedy plants used as food, medicine, and ornamental, and 17 species of edible mushrooms. The variables with the highest weight in the ICEI are related to the need of a resource according to people, its recognizing, the number of communities and markets offering it in markets, its explicit preference expressed by people, the effort invested in obtaining it, and the form it is interchanged. Gathering is practiced in all mushrooms and wild and weedy plants from forests and agricultural areas; 11 species in addition receive 1 or more forms of management (enhancing, selective let standing, propagation through seeds or vegetative parts, transplantation, and/or protection). The management intensity and complexity are explained by variables related to management practices and systems. Plants receiving selective management have the higher management intensity. Silvicultural management (in situ management in forests) was recorded in all species of mushrooms, as well as in more than 80% of medicinal, ceremonial and ornamental plants, and in more than 50% of the edible plants. In agricultural systems, people manage more than 90% of the edible plants recorded to be under a management regime, 25% of the managed medicinal plants, and 30.7% of the managed ceremonial and ornamental plants. In homegardens, people manage 41.6% of the medicinal plants recorded and 26.6% of the edible plants, to have them available near home. Nearly 63% of the species interchanged in the markets studied are gathered in forests without any other management form. In this group are included all mushroom species, 61.5% of ceremonial/ornamental plants, 50% of medicinal, and 33.3% of edible plants. The linear regression between ICEI an IER is significantly negative for edible species with high management intensity R²?=?0.505 (p?=?0.0316), because of their management. But in medicinal and ornamental plants, the risk is high if the cultural importance increases, even when management practices like transplanting and propagation in homegardens are carried out.

Conclusions

Traditional markets are settings of interchange of products, knowledge, and experiences, where the ongoing factors and processes motivating management innovation can be identified and documented. This approach allows documenting processes occurring at regional level but would be benefited from deeper studies at local level in communities.

     

湘西州少数民族膳食结构中常见野生植物调查研究

湘西土家族苗族自治州位于武陵山区东部 ,属华中植物区系 ,植物资源十分丰富 ,对全州 8个县市的调研表明 ,野生食用植物是当地少数民族传统膳食结构中的重要组成成分。文章报导了常见野果、野菜等食物植物 42科 6 3属 83种及其利用价值、采集时令和食用方法 ,并就该地区野生食用植物资源的保护和开发提出了对策和措施。     

Mapuche perceptions and conservation of Andean <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nothofagus</Emphasis> forests and their medicinal plants: a case study from a rural community in Patagonia,Argentina

In a Mapuche community situated in the sub-antarctic forest of the northwest of Argentine Patagonia, analysis was carried out on forest environmental perception and its relation to the resilience of the body of traditional botanical knowledge regarding medicinal plants. Data was obtained on the ethno-classification and differential use of the forest gathering environment with respect to its practical and cultural value. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 randomly chosen inhabitants, and the data were analysed using qualitative methods and non-parametric statistics. Most citations (64.5%) were of species gathered in Nothofagus antarctica forest, 26.2% were of species from N. pumilio forest, and 20.3% referred to species from a mixed forest, with N. dombeyi. The forests studied have low values for similarity in terms of medicinal species richness, indicating a unique offer of therapeutic resources in each one. The use of the different forest types seems to be associated with the search for therapeutic resources for specific ailments. However, the redundancy of functions of species in each forest type can offer alternative remedies, which provides plant conservation, security and the possibility of reorganisation of their traditional medicinal knowledge. This case study showed the importance of considering folk systems and the role that this knowledge has played in plant resource management and forest protection. Different forests are used and valued differentially, not only with regard to usefulness but also in symbolic-religious terms, and together they fulfil a cushioning function, protecting holistically traditional botanical knowledge, people’s health and forests. It is of great importance, therefore, that conservation policies favouring environmental heterogeneity are implemented, and that local inhabitants participate in the development of management plans.     

Identifying prehistoric collected wild plants: A case study from late bronze age settlements in the french alps (Grésine, Bourget Lake, Savoie)

The late Bronze Age lakeshore settlements of Grésine (French Alps) have yielded archaeobotanical evidence of 14 cultivated and 153 wild plants. Some of the wild taxa may have been collected, but many are probably here by chance. Three criteria are used as evidence for human transport and manipulation of wild plant remains: number of items, fragmentation, and carbonization. Relations between these criteria and known ethnobotanical properties of the identified plants are statistically analyzed. Results display good evidence of the gathering of edible wild fruits and seeds. Other gathering practices are not documented. Edible fruits and seeds seem to have been gathered mainly from ruderal spring weed communities and, possibly, from forest clearances and hedge communities. Fragmentation appears to be less of a discriminating factor than number of plant remains and carbonization.