Traditional medicinal animal use by Xhosa and Sotho communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Autor: Alison J. Leslie, Willem A. Nieman, Anita Wilkinson
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2019
Předmět:
Male
Rural Population
0106 biological sciences
Cultural Studies
Health (social science)
Species accumulation curves
Ethnopharmacology
Informal settlements
Ethnobotany
Wildlife
Risk Assessment
01 natural sciences
Indigenous
South Africa
Species of concern
Zootherapy
biology.animal
lcsh:Botany
Animals
Humans
Socioeconomics
Medicine
African Traditional
Plants
Medicinal
biology
African rock python
Research
Leopard
Xhosa medicine
Biodiversity
lcsh:Other systems of medicine
biology.organism_classification
lcsh:RZ201-999
language.human_language
0104 chemical sciences
lcsh:QK1-989
010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry
Ethnozoology
Treatment Outcome
Geography
Complementary and alternative medicine
language
Female
Species richness
Xhosa
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Zoology
010606 plant biology & botany
Zdroj: Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2019)
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
ISSN: 1746-4269
Popis: Background The use of animals and animal-derived materials in traditional medicine constitutes an important part of the belief systems of indigenous African cultures. It is believed to be rapidly expanding in South Africa, where traditional healers are estimated to outnumber western doctors by 2000:1 in some areas, with an overall clientele consisting of 60–80% of South African citizens. Despite concerns about the impact of the trade in traditional medicine on biodiversity, there has been only limited research on this topic in South Africa. Methods Traditional Xhosa and Sotho healers operating from impoverished, rural communities in the Boland Region of the Western Cape Province were consulted to provide a comprehensive inventory of the number and frequency of animals used and sold. Species richness estimators, diversity indices, and a relative cultural importance (RCI) index were used to highlight species of concern and assess market dynamics. Results A total of 26 broad use categories for 12 types of animal parts or products from 71 species or morphospecies were recorded. The most commonly sold items were skin pieces, oil or fat, and bones. Results showed that leopard, chacma baboon, Cape porcupine, monitor lizard species, puff adder, African rock python, and black-backed jackal were the species most used in the traditional medicinal trade. Conclusions This study extends existing knowledge on the trade of animals in South African healing practices and provides the first attempt in the Western Cape to quantify wildlife use for cultural traditions. The results have relevance for setting conservation priorities and may assist in effective policy development inclusive of ecological sustainability priorities, as well as cultural demands. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13002-019-0311-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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