• April to June 2024 Article ID: NSS8743 Impact Factor:8.05 Cite Score:148 Download: 15 DOI: https://doi.org/ View PDf

    Biocultural Conservation of Plants Through the Lens of Tribal Knowledge in India

      Dr. Ragini Sikarwar
        Assistant Professor (Botany) Govt. Home Science PG Lead College, Narmadapuram (M.P.)
  • Abstract: India is a biodiversity hotspot with various plant species with huge ecological and medicinal properties. Biocultural conservation and knowledge amongst tribes are closely related, since they have been important to date for the preservation of species. In this paper, the connection between biocultural conservation and knowledge among tribes has been discussed to indicate how indigenous practices, through sustainable use and preservation, of plant resources, bring significant benefits to the whole process. Ethnobotanical research shows that traditional practices are important for maintaining biodiversity and preventing exploitation. Loss of the traditional knowledge because of modernization and environmental degradation hinders conservation efforts. Solutions-possibly community-based conservation programs, documentation of tribal knowledge, and legal protections-must be enacted to help integrate the "traditional" into modern environmental management strategies. In the approach, then, not only will biodiversity be supported but also the cultural heritages of indigenous communities will be underlined in the successful sustenance of a people-nature coexistence.

    Keywords :Biocultural conservation, Tribal knowledge, Ethnobotany, Plant conservation, Biodiversity, Indigenous communities, Sustainable practices,Medicinal plants.