Heterogeneity in Ethnoecological Knowledge and Management of Medicinal Plants in the Himalayas of Nepal: Implications for Conservation

By S. Ghimire, D. McKey, Y. Aumeeruddy‐Thomas. 2004

234 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The importance accorded to ethnoecological knowledge for suggesting new paths in scientific research, understanding ecological processes, and designing sustainable management of natural resources has grown in recent years. However, variation in knowledge and practices, both within and across cultures, has not been given much attention in resource management nor in developing scientific understanding of the ecological status of key resources. In this paper, we discuss the heterogeneity and complexity of local ecological knowledge in relation to its practical and institutional context with respect to management of Himalayan medicinal plants. We show factors affecting this variation, and discuss how knowledge is put into action. We assessed variation in knowledge relating to the diversity of medicinal plant species, their distribution, medicinal uses, biological traits, ecology, and management within and between two culturally different social groups living in villages located in the Shey-Phoksundo National Park and its buffer zone in northwestern Nepal. Heterogeneity in levels of knowledge and in practices both within and between these groups corresponds to differences in level of specialization in relation to medicinal plants, to socio-cultural and institutional contexts, and to extra-local factors that govern people’s activities. We argue that understanding the heterogeneity of knowledge and practices within a given area is crucial to design management practices that build on the intricate links between knowledge, practices, and institutional context. It is also important to develop ecological studies that will best inform management.

Subfields: Global and Planetary Change, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f5865fa6651ae9dea348d582c226d6682880e685

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Global and Planetary Change

In Plant Science

Citations in the corpus

Wild Edible Fruits: A Systematic Review of an Under-Researched Multifunctional NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Product) (2019, background): “We suggest that a focus on WEFs is necessary due to (1) their versatility and ubiquity even in the absence of forests [94,99], (2) co-occurrence with various other land uses [25,52,84,121,127,146], (3) their significant contribution to nutrition, income, health, and culture of rural and urban people”
WHAT you know is WHO you know? Communication patterns among resource users as a prerequisite for co-management (2006, background): “In fact, knowledge of ecological functions and processes may vary among groups of resource users as demonstrated by several studies (Hunn et al. 2003, Ghimire et al. 2004, Crona 2006).”
Demographic variation and population viability in a threatened Himalayan medicinal and aromatic herb Nardostachys grandiflora: matrix modelling of harvesting effects in two contrasting habitats (2007, methodology): “Amchi are knowledgeable about the ecology and cultivation of medicinal plants, and their harvesting approach aims at sustaining regenera tion (Ghimire et al. 2004).”