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Esgalhado C, Pinto-Correia T, Targetti S, Napoléone C, Rivera M. Sustaining altitude pastures in mountain landscapes-a fuzzy cognitive model approach. Sci Total Environ 2024:172930. [PMID: 38701932 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Similarly to other European mountain areas, in Serra da Estrela the grazing pressure has been reducing due to social and economic drivers that have pushed shepherds and sheep to the foothill, or plainly out of the sector. Shrub encroachment on commons and other previously grazed land is one of the most tangible effects of pastoral abandonment in Serra de Estrela. The impacts of the resulting increase in landscape continuity and biomass availability were made clear in the severe fires of 2017 and 2022. As fire risk is likely to increase with climate change, it becomes urgent to understand what strategies can be deployed to keep fragmentation in these landscapes. Key actors such as shepherds should be involved in this discussion to understand their perceptions, points of view and reasons for abandoning upland pastures. In this study, we use fuzzy cognitive mapping to identify the key variables and mechanisms affecting the pastoral system according to local shepherds. In our study, we developed with local stakeholders a framework outlining the local pastoral system. Based on that, we carried out the fuzzy cognitive mapping collecting 14 questionnaires. We found that shepherds' income is a central issue, but that it is highly dependent on many factors. Increasing the Common Agricultural Policy payments alone is not enough to incentivise the use of upland pastures. More targeted strategies, such as more support for shrub clearing, and direct payments conditional to transhumance are more impactful. Despite a contentious discourse between conservation and shepherding values in Serra da Estrela, we find that shepherd's values are aligned with biodiversity conservation and a potential nature-based solution for minimizing fire risk through woody fuel management. This opens up possibilities for new governance strategies, that put Serra da Estrela's social, environmental and cultural values at its core.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Esgalhado
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability; IIFA - Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal.
| | - Teresa Pinto-Correia
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability; IIFA - Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal; Departamento de Paisagem Ambiente e Ordenamento, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
| | - Stefano Targetti
- University of Bologna, Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Viale Fanin, 50, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Claude Napoléone
- INRAE (French National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment), Ecodéveloppement Research Unit, Avignon, France
| | - Maria Rivera
- MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability; IIFA - Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, University of Évora, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
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Azalou M, Assani AS, Worogo HSS, Idrissou Y, Azando EBV, Pascal C, Alkoiret IT. Analysis of the interrelationships of stakeholders involved in the management of transhumance in southern Benin. Trop Anim Health Prod 2023; 55:108. [PMID: 36913157 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-023-03533-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
The management of pastoral mobility is a stakeholder-centered approach for the integration of resource conservation and agricultural development. This study aimed to characterize the stakeholders of transhumance and to analyze their influence in the municipality of Djidja in southern Benin. For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 300 stakeholders involved in transhumance and pastoral resource management. The Likert scale (1 to 5) was used to assess the levels of influence and focus groups were conducted. The results showed that several stakeholders (transhumant herders, agro-pastoralists, farmers, hunters, fishermen, loggers, gendarmerie, Garso, CTAF, cattle farmers' associations, farmers' associations, SCDA, and communal transhumance committee) were involved in transhumance with diverse interests, backgrounds, knowledge, and power (P < 0.05). More than half of the farmers (72%) blame transhumant herders whose practices are source of multiple conflicts among (please mention what kind of conflicts and with whom by providing example). Statistical analysis indicated a strong influence with significant differences (P < 0.001) in the pastoral resources by four stakeholders including the communal transhumance committee, the association of herders, the Garso (scout and intermediary for transhumant herders), and the transhumant herder. This research demonstrates how the systematic analysis of the activities carried out by the stakeholders, the interconnected activities between them, and their relationships can offer insights for a better coordination of transhumance. For effective pastoral management, it is therefore important to build a dialogue between the different stakeholders involved in transhumance in southern Benin.
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Shubeena S, Hai A, Hamdani SA, Akand AH, Amin I, Mahboob S, Nissa SSU, Rashid SM. Sustainability of the grazing and feeding resources for sheep during the non-migratory period in Jammu and Kashmir. Trop Anim Health Prod 2022; 54:292. [PMID: 36094539 DOI: 10.1007/s11250-022-03277-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The objective of the study was to evaluate the sustainability of the grazing and feeding resources of the sheep in Kashmir, India. The study was conducted in the Ganderbal District of Kashmir to evaluate sustainability, along with the scenario of grazing pattern and feeding system of the sheep during the non-migratory period. The district was divided into three production zones based on altitude, i.e., zone I (high altitude), zone II (medium altitude), and zone III (low altitude). A total of 360 sheep farmers were interviewed from the three zones that consist of 9 blocks, with 40 sheep farmers interviewed from each block. Majority of the sheep farmers (75.00%) follow a semi-migratory type of production system, use forest, and low-mountain areas for grazing purposes (48.88%) and were having medium to high availability of grazing lands. The main feeding source available to majority of the sheep farmers (60.00%) was found to be crop residues and fodder grasses, with local markets (60.00%) and fellow farmers (71.11%) being the main source of procuring concentrates and fodders. Hybrid entropy and TOPSIS method were used for the evaluation of sustainability of grazing and feeding system in the area. The most influencing factors for sustainability of grazing pattern and feeding source were found to be production system followed and the major feed sources available respectively. Most of the variables included in the grazing system were ideally best in zone I and of feeding system were found to be ideally best in zone III. There is a need for improvement in the parameters of the grazing pattern in zone III, i.e., in low-altitude areas or planes where grazing lands are shrinking at an alarming rate. The parameters under the feeding system need due consideration in zone I, i.e., in the high altitudes where the socio-economic situation of the people is comparatively poor than the other two zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheikh Shubeena
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - Abdul Hai
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - S A Hamdani
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - A H Akand
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - Insha Amin
- Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (SKUAST-K), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Shuhama, Alusteng, Srinagar Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - Subata Mahboob
- Department of Animal Nutrition, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir,, India, 190006
| | - Shiasta Seedat-Un Nissa
- Department of Poultry Science, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Kashmir, India, 190006
| | - Shahzada Mudasir Rashid
- Department of Veterinary Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences (SKUAST-K), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir, Shuhama, Alusteng, Srinagar Kashmir, India, 190006.
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Ouedraogo AS, Zannou OM, Biguezoton AS, Yao KP, Belem AMG, Farougou S, Oosthuizen M, Saegerman C, Lempereur L. Cross border transhumance involvement in ticks and tick-borne pathogens dissemination and first evidence of Anaplasma centrale in Burkina Faso. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12:101781. [PMID: 34280698 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In West Africa, cross-border transhumance, also called seasonal migration, is known to be a very important animal production strategy, as it involves about 70 to 90% of cattle. In spite of the cattle movements, some strategic areas of transhumance remain poorly explored regarding ticks and their associated pathogens investigations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the involvement of transhumance in the spread of cattle ticks and associated pathogens in Burkina Faso (BF) and Benin (BN), in a context of speedy invasion of West African livestock by Rhipicephalus microplus. A longitudinal survey was performed on 210 cattle from BF, monitored for ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBP) during one seasonal transhumance. The first sampling coded "T0BF" took place in eastern BF, at the transhumance departure. A second sampling "T1BN" was carried out in northern BN, the transhumance arrival zone. A third sampling "T2BF" was done at the return of cattle in eastern BF. Ticks were morphologically identified and TBP detected with reverse line blot hybridization (RLB) assay. A total of 1027 ticks (7 species), 1006 ticks (11 species) and 1211 ticks (9 species) were respectively found at T0BF, T1BN and T2BF. Some species were collected at the three times of sampling without any significant difference in their relative abundances. However, other tick species appeared only at T1BN and/or T2BF. The TBP species found at the three points surveyed were Theileria annulata, Theileria mutans, Theileria velifera, Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma marginale. The most prevalent was T. mutans with 166/210 (79%), 159/210 (75.7%) and 78/210 (37%) cattle positive respectively at T0BF, T1BN and T2BF. Anaplasma centrale was evidenced with 0.5% and 0.9% respectively at T0BF and T2BF. To our knowledge, this represents its first report in the study area. Overall, the TBP prevalences were significantly lower at T2BF, highlighting the effect of tick populations changes induced by transhumance combined with the seasonal variation influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achille S Ouedraogo
- Center for Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULiège, 4000, Liège, Belgium; Vector-borne Diseases and Biodiversity Unit (UMaVeB), International Research and Development Centre on Livestock in Sub-humid Areas (CIRDES), 454, Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso.
| | - Olivier M Zannou
- Vector-borne Diseases and Biodiversity Unit (UMaVeB), International Research and Development Centre on Livestock in Sub-humid Areas (CIRDES), 454, Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso; Research Unit in Epidemiology and Risk Analysis applied to veterinary sciences (UREAR-ULg), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULiège, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Abel S Biguezoton
- Vector-borne Diseases and Biodiversity Unit (UMaVeB), International Research and Development Centre on Livestock in Sub-humid Areas (CIRDES), 454, Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso.
| | - Kouassi Patrick Yao
- UFR Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët Boigny, BP V34, Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire.
| | - Adrien Marie Gaston Belem
- Institut du Développement Rural (IDR), Université Nazi BONI, 01 BP 1091, Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso.
| | - Souaibou Farougou
- Unité de Recherche sur les Maladies Transmissibles, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, BP 01 BP 2009 Cotonou, République du Bénin.
| | - Marinda Oosthuizen
- Department of veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, 0110, Onderspoort, South Africa.
| | - Claude Saegerman
- Research Unit in Epidemiology and Risk Analysis applied to veterinary sciences (UREAR-ULg), Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULiège, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
| | - Laetitia Lempereur
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health (FARAH) Center, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, ULiège, 4000, Liège, Belgium.
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Chepkwony R, van Bommel S, van Langevelde F. Interactive effects of biological, human and environmental factors on tick loads in Boran cattle in tropical drylands. Parasit Vectors 2021; 14:188. [PMID: 33823921 PMCID: PMC8025487 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04683-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a serious threat to humans, wildlife and livestock, and cause severe economic losses in many tropical drylands. The effective control of TBDs has been constrained by limited understanding of what determines tick loads in animals. We tested interactive effects of several biological factors (sex, age and body condition), one environmental factor (rainfall) and one human factor (management type) on tick loads in animals. Methods We collected ticks on animals at four sampling sites in the semi-arid savanna area of Laikipia County, Kenya, of which two are commercial ranches and the other two are open pastoral grazing areas. From 2017 to 2019, we collected a total of 2038 ticks from 619 domestic animals from various cattle and camel herds and from 79 tranquilised wild animals. Results Generally, wild herbivores (zebras, rhinos and elephants) had higher tick loads than domestic animals. As 83% of the tick samples were taken from Boran cattle, we analysed tick load in these cattle in more detail. Boran cattle had high tick loads in the wet season, especially those animals in poor condition. No differences were found between female and male cattle, regardless of season. The calves had high tick loads during both the wet and dry seasons, whereas the sub-adult and adult cattle had less ticks during the dry season. Cattle on the intensively managed ranches had lower tick load than those in the transhumant management system. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of establishing effective control of ticks on domestic animals in transhumant management systems as tick loads were high on these animals in both the wet and dry season. Graphic abstract ![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Chepkwony
- Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. .,Strategic Communications Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8130, 6700 EW, Wageningen, The Netherlands. .,Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Severine van Bommel
- Strategic Communications Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8130, 6700 EW, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia
| | - Frank van Langevelde
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,School of Life Sciences, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4000, South Africa
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Pomeroy LW, Moritz M, Garabed R. Network analyses of transhumance movements and simulations of foot-and-mouth disease virus transmission among mobile livestock in Cameroon. Epidemics 2019; 28:100334. [PMID: 31387783 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2019.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) affects cloven-hoofed livestock and agricultural economies worldwide. Analyses of the 2001 FMD outbreak in the United Kingdom informed how livestock movement contributed to disease spread. However, livestock reared in other locations use different production systems that might also influence disease dynamics. Here, we investigate a livestock production system known as transhumance, which is the practice of moving livestock between seasonal grazing areas. We built mechanistic models using livestock movement data from the Far North Region of Cameroon. We represented these data as a dynamic network over which we simulated disease transmission and examined three questions. First, we asked what were characteristics of simulated FMDV transmission across a transhumant pastoralist system. Second, we asked how simulated FMDV transmission across a transhumant pastoralist system differed from transmission across this same population held artificially stationary, thereby revealing the effect of movement on disease dynamics. Third, we asked if disease simulations on well-studied theoretical networks are similar to disease simulations on this empirical dynamic network. The results show that the empirical dynamic network was sparsely connected except for an eight-week period in September and October when pastoralists move from rainy season to dry season grazing areas. The mean epidemic size across all 3,744 simulations was 99.9% and the mean epidemic duration was 1.45 years. Disease simulations across the static network showed a smaller mean epidemic size (27.6%) and a similar epidemic duration (1.5 years). Epidemics simulated on theoretical networks showed similar final epidemic sizes (100%) and different mean durations. Our simulations indicate that transhumant livestock systems have the potential to host FMDV outbreaks that affect almost all livestock and last longer than a year. Furthermore, our comparison of empirical and theoretical networks underscores the importance of using empirical data to understand the role of mobility in the transmission of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura W Pomeroy
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - Mark Moritz
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Rebecca Garabed
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
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Motta P, Porphyre T, Hamman SM, Morgan KL, Ngwa VN, Tanya VN, Raizman E, Handel IG, Bronsvoort BM. Cattle transhumance and agropastoral nomadic herding practices in Central Cameroon. BMC Vet Res 2018; 14:214. [PMID: 29970084 PMCID: PMC6029425 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1515-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In sub-Saharan Africa, livestock transhumance represents a key adaptation strategy to environmental variability. In this context, seasonal livestock transhumance also plays an important role in driving the dynamics of multiple livestock infectious diseases. In Cameroon, cattle transhumance is a common practice during the dry season across all the main livestock production zones. Currently, the little recorded information of the migratory routes, grazing locations and nomadic herding practices adopted by pastoralists, limits our understanding of pastoral cattle movements in the country. GPS-tracking technology in combination with a questionnaire based-survey were used to study a limited pool of 10 cattle herds from the Adamawa Region of Cameroon during their seasonal migration, between October 2014 and May 2015. The data were used to analyse the trajectories and movement patterns, and to characterize the key animal health aspects related to this seasonal migration in Cameroon. RESULTS Several administrative Regions of the country were visited by the transhumant herds over more than 6 months. Herds travelled between 53 and 170 km to their transhumance grazing areas adopting different strategies, some travelling directly to their destination areas while others having multiple resting periods and grazing areas. Despite their limitations, these are among the first detailed data available on transhumance in Cameroon. These reports highlight key livestock health issues and the potential for multiple types of interactions between transhumant herds and other domestic and wild animals, as well as with the formal livestock trading system. CONCLUSION Overall, these findings provide useful insights into transhumance patterns and into the related animal health implications recorded in Cameroon. This knowledge could better inform evidence-based approaches for designing infectious diseases surveillance and control measures and help driving further studies to improve the understanding of risks associated with livestock movements in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Motta
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK.
- The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD) - Food and Agricolture Organization (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153, Rome, Italy.
| | - Thibaud Porphyre
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Saidou M Hamman
- Institute of Agricultural Research for Development, Regional Centre of Wakwa, Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454, Cameroon
| | - Kenton L Morgan
- Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease and School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston, Liverpool, Wirral, CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Victor Ngu Ngwa
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454, Cameroon
| | - Vincent N Tanya
- Cameroon Academy of Sciences, Yaound'e, P.O. Box 1457, Cameroon
| | - Eran Raizman
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Animal Production and Health Division, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153, Rome, Italy
| | - Ian G Handel
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
| | - Barend Mark Bronsvoort
- The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK
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Kunwar RM, Fadiman M, Cameron M, Bussmann RW, Thapa-Magar KB, Rimal B, Sapkota P. Cross-cultural comparison of plant use knowledge in Baitadi and Darchula districts, Nepal Himalaya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2018; 14:40. [PMID: 29890995 PMCID: PMC5996461 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-018-0242-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This study seeks to better understand the human-nature interface and to measure the variability of plant use knowledge among cultures, through inter- and intracultural analyses. We compared plant collection, use, and management of two culturally distinct groups (Baitadi and Darchula) of the Nepal Himalaya. They inhabit different physiographic regions, yet share the same ecological landscape, environmental resources, and livelihood challenges. We hypothesized that the elderly, native, and traditional healers living in remote and rural places possess more diverse and detailed knowledge of plant use and conservation than young, non-native, and non-healers. METHODS A total of 106 people were contacted for interviews, and 100 (68 men and 32 women) agreed to share ethnobotanical, demographic, and socioeconomic information. They were asked about the three most important plants for their socioeconomic benefit, culture, primary health care, and livelihood. RESULTS The knowledge of plant collection, use, and its transfer was strongly associated with the cultural heritage whereas the ecogeographical condition influences the ways in which plants are collected and used. The divergent knowledge of plant collection, use, and transfer between the participants of Baitadi and Darchula was significantly (p < 0.001) attributed to the cultural heritage of the area. The low consensus of plant use (FiC 0-0.87; IASc 0-0.67) between Baitadi and Darchula district could be due to cultural divergence, varied accessibility, physiographic heterogeneity, and biodiversity uniqueness. CONCLUSIONS Differences in plant use knowledge may help in diversifying the strategies of plant use in accordance with the livelihood, culture, and environment, and therefore, more studies measuring these aspects can further the ecosystem and cultural health of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ripu M. Kunwar
- Ethnobotanical Society of Nepal, GPO Box 19225, New Road, Kathmandu, 44600 Nepal
- Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Maria Fadiman
- Department of Geosciences, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Mary Cameron
- Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, USA
| | | | - Khum B. Thapa-Magar
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Bhagawat Rimal
- Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian, Beijing, China
| | - Prabhat Sapkota
- Department of Forest, District Forest Office, Baitadi, Farwest Nepal Nepal
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