Evidence of a link between taboos and sacrifices and resource scarcity of ritual plants

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Tinde van Andel²  Diana Quiroz¹ 

[1] Wageningen University, Biosystematics, P.O. Box 647, 6700AP Wageningen, The Netherlands;Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

关键词: Vodoun;    Threatened species;    Plant conservation;    IUCN Red List;    Gabon;    Ethnobotany;    Bwiti;    Benin;    Africa;   

Others  :  1133409
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-4269-11-5

 received in 2014-06-30, accepted in 2014-11-05,  发布年份 2015

【 摘 要 】

Background

One of the main obstacles for the mainstreaming of religious traditions as tools for the conservation of nature is the limited applicability of research results in this field. We documented two different restrictions implemented by local people (taboos and sacrifices) related to the use of ritual plants in Benin (West Africa) and Gabon (Central Africa).

Methods

To see whether these restrictions reflected plant scarcity from an etic perspective (official threat status) and an emic viewpoint (perceived scarcity by local people), we conducted 102 interviews with traditional healers and adepts of traditional faiths.

Results

We documented a total of 618 ritual plants, from which 52 species were used in both countries. In Benin, the use of 63 of the 414 ritual plant species was restricted; while in Gabon 23 of the 256 ritual plants were associated with taboos and sacrifices. In Benin, restricted plants were significantly more often officially threatened, perceived as scarce, and actively protected than non-restricted plants. In the more forested and less densely populated Gabon, plants that were perceived as scarce were more often associated to local restrictions than officially threatened species.

Conclusions

These results prove the presence of a form of adaptive management where restrictions are related to resource scarcity and protection of ritual plant species. By providing baseline data on possibly endangered species, we demonstrate how plant use in the context of religious traditions can yield important information for conservation planning.

【 授权许可】

   
2015 Quiroz and van Andel; licensee BioMed Central.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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