Indigenous Knowledge
Soheila Yousofvand; Abolfazl Sharifian; Hamid Reza Qutbal-Dini
Abstract
The current study aimed at providing an assessment of pastoralists’ knowledge in Darreh Shahr county at Ilam province associated with Scrophularia striata and Anchusa italica. In this order, field observations, semi-structured interviews and community feedback methods were used with 57 knowledgeable ...
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The current study aimed at providing an assessment of pastoralists’ knowledge in Darreh Shahr county at Ilam province associated with Scrophularia striata and Anchusa italica. In this order, field observations, semi-structured interviews and community feedback methods were used with 57 knowledgeable and skilled local pastoralists with legal grazing license. Result showed that pastoralists carried extensive knowledge with regard to different aspects of these two plant species. This knowledge included morphological and botanical characteristics, phenology, habitat properties including geographical distribution, ecology and companion plants, forage and fodder properties, harvesting approaches, therapeutic properties and side effects. It was found through the findings that, based on traditional knowledge of pastoralists, the main therapeutic properties of Scrophularia striata were treatment of burning injuries, internal infection of the female genital organs, the infection in general and acne. For Anchusa italica the therapeutic properties included sedative effects and reducing stress and depression. The result also showed an erosion of medicinal plants traditional knowledge due to the death of knowledgeable elderlies and the lack of interest among new generations regarding traditional knowledge. The innovation of this study is in the deep examination of traditional knowledge regarding different aspects of ethnobotany besides medicinal properties of plants.
soheila yousofvand; hossein barani; mojgansadat azimi; Hamid Niknahad; Abolfazl Sharifiyan
Abstract
The main question in this study is how herders perceive plants in saline and alkaline rangelands and the relation between water, soil and plants. Data collection was done using field walks and semi-structured interviews with herders in Incheh Borun rangeland, Aq Qala county at Golestan province, Iran. ...
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The main question in this study is how herders perceive plants in saline and alkaline rangelands and the relation between water, soil and plants. Data collection was done using field walks and semi-structured interviews with herders in Incheh Borun rangeland, Aq Qala county at Golestan province, Iran. Herders mentioned 38 plant species with local names. Traditional knowledge of herders showed that land in Turkmen Sahra is classified into two categories of sour and sweet and ocassionally healthy-unhealthy or good-bad are used instead to describe land. Herders also described seven categories for soil including Shishei (glassy), Shor (sour), Martoob (wet), Naor (small basins), Tappeh (hill), Ghermez (red) and Siah (black) where specific plants grow in each category. The result of this study showed that Turkmen herders carry rich knowledge regarding the description of plants and habitats. The innovation of this study was using Turkmen herders’ traditional knowledge in identification of plants, soil categories and their characteristics which is done for the first time in the region. It is recommended that policymaking in natural resources management of Iran apply buttom-up planning and decision-making in order to use traditional ecological knowledge of local communities.
