Traditional uses of plants in a rural community of Mozambique and possible links with Miombo degradation and harvesting sustainability

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Maria Adele Signorini²  Michela Morganti¹  Elisabetta Mattioli³  Matteo Mancini⁴  Piero Bruschi⁵ 

[1] via Biancano 17, Faenza, Italy;Department of Biology, University of Florence, via G. La Pira, 4, Firenze, Italy;via Cesare Pascarella 34, Roma, Italy;via Colle 88, Serrapetrona, Italy;Department of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, Sect. Soil and Plant Science, University of Florence, p.le Cascine 28, Firenze, Italy

关键词: Conservation priority;    Natural and degraded woodlands;    Non-timber forest products;    Ethnobotany;    Mozambique;    Miombo;   

Others  :  869829
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-4269-10-59

 received in 2014-02-17, accepted in 2014-06-28,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Miombo woodlands play an important role in the livelihood of people living in sub-equatorial African countries, contributing to satisfy basic human needs such as food, medicine, fuelwood and building materials. However, over-exploitation of plant resources and unsustainable harvest practices can potentially degrade forests. The aim of this study was to document the use of Miombo plant products, other than medicinal plants, in local communities, within a wider framework in which we discussed possible links between traditional uses and conservation status of the used species and of the whole Miombo environment.

Methods

Fieldwork took place in four communities of Muda-Serração, central Mozambique. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 52 informants about their knowledge, use and harvesting practices of useful plants. A survey on local Miombo vegetation was also carried out in order to assess abundance and distribution of useful woody plants cited in the interviews in areas exposed to different exploitation rates. A Conservation Priority index was also applied to rank conservation values of each used woody species.

Results

Ninety-eight plants cited by the informants were botanically identified. The most relevant general category was represented by food plants (45 species), followed by handicraft plants (38 species) and domestic plants (37 species). Among the 54 woody species observed in vegetation plots, 52% were cited as useful in the interviews. Twenty-six woody species found in ‘natural’ Miombo areas were not found in ‘degraded’ ones: of these, 46% were cited in the interviews (58% in the food category, 50% in the handicraft category, 25% in the domestic category and 8% in the fishing category). Results of conservation ranking showed that 7 woody species deserve conservation priority in the investigated area.

Conclusions

This study shows that the communities investigated rely heavily on local forest products for their daily subsistence requirements in food, firewood/charcoal and building materials. However, over-exploitation and destructive collection seem to threaten the survival of some of the woody species used. A sustainable approach including the involvement of local communities in the management of woody species is recommended.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Bruschi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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