How does urbanization affect perceptions and traditional knowledge of medicinal plants?
| Autor: | Ana Isabel Moreno-Calles, Leonardo Beltrán-Rodríguez, Cecilia Arjona-García, José Antonio Sierra-Huelsz, Xavier López-Medellín, José Blancas, Hortensia Colín Bahena, Citlalli López Binnqüist |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Cultural Studies Flora Health (social science) Biodiversity Ethnobotany Introduced species 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Other systems of medicine Urbanization Humans Traditional knowledge Medicinal plants Mexico Ecosystem Plants Medicinal Agroforestry Research Tropical deciduous forest Botany food and beverages Cultural changes Natural resource Biocultural conservation 010601 ecology Geography Knowledge Complementary and alternative medicine QK1-989 General Agricultural and Biological Sciences RZ201-999 Phytotherapy |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Vol 17, Iss 1, Pp 1-26 (2021) Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |
| ISSN: | 1746-4269 |
| Popis: | BackgroundThe use and knowledge of medicinal plants play an essential role in community health in rural Mexico. Medicinal plants are part of the local heritage and provide a source of economic income. Nevertheless, knowledge of their use has declined due to factors like accelerated urbanization. Some authors have proposed that by reducing natural spaces, urbanization generates changes that impact the recognition, use, and management of natural resources. Here, we evaluate how urbanization affects the knowledge, use, and perception of medicinal plants in a Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.MethodsUsing a mixed methodology including quantitative and qualitative analyses, we generated a list of medicinal plants, methods of preparation, prevalence of illness, and use in two communities with different degrees of urbanization.ResultsA total of 217 medicinal plants were identified. The more urbanized community had greater knowledge of, and used, a larger number of introduced plant species, while the less urbanized community used and had more knowledge about wild plants. One of the factors explaining these differences was occupation, with people who work outdoors showing greater knowledge of wild plants.ConclusionsUrbanization can lead to a loss of knowledge of the use and management of local wild species, with implications for the conservation of biocultural heritage. Substitution of native medicinal plants by introduced species shows disinterest and disuse in the local medicinal flora, which could be reflected in their ecosystems. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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