A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Plant Resources among Five Ethnic Groups in the Western Himalayan Region of Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Plant resources have always been valuable in human life, and many plant species are used in medicine, food, and ritual, and resource utilization is closely related to cultural diversity. Our study was conducted from June 2019 to April 2021, during which we aimed to document the local knowledge of plant resources of five ethnic groups, i.e., the Gujjar, Bakarwal, Kashmiri, Pahari, and Dogra communities of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region, Western Himalayas. Through semi-structured interviews (N = 342) and group discussions (N = 38), we collected data on the ethnobotanical uses of plant resources. The data was subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis and ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) via, R software of version 4.0.0. Traditional uses were classified into three groups, i.e., single-, double-, and multi-use groups. The study recorded a total of 127 plant species, belonging to 113 genera and distributed among 64 botanical families. The dominant plant families were the Asteraceae, with 8% of all species, followed by Lamiaceae (6%), Polygonaceae (5%) and Ranunculaceae (4%). The recorded plant taxa were frequently used for medicine (51.4% responses), followed by food (14.9%), and fodder (9.5%). Principal component analysis (PCA) separated three groups of provisioning services depending on plant consumption preference levels. Comparative analysis showed remarkable similarities in plant uses (food, medicinal) among the Gujjar and Bakarwal ethnic groups, as both groups share a common culture. Some plants like Azadirachta indica, Brassica campestris, Ulmus wallichiana, Amaranthus blitum, and Celtis australis were also used for magico-religious purposes. We also recorded some medicinal uses that are new to the ethnobotanical literature of the J&K Himalayas, such as for Betula utilis, Sambucus wightiana, and Dolomiaea macrocephala, in our case for example local medicinal recipe, which is derived from Dolomiaea macrocephala, often known as Nashasta, used to treat weakness, back pain, and joint pain. Similarly, we also recorded new food uses for Eremurus himalaicus. Moreover, we also observed some plants for instance, Fragaria nubicola, Betula utilis and Juniperus communis have spiritual significance (i.e., amulets and scrolls) for this part of the Himalayan region. The present study provides a useful tool for resource management and can help in developing scientifically informed strategies for the conservation of plant resources.

Quantitative ethnoveterinary study on plant resource utilization by indigenous communities in high-altitude regions

“…The P -values are displayed at the top, and Pearson correlation coefficients are displayed at the bottom ( Figure 11 ). Various ethno-veterinary ethnoveterinary studies, such as Majekodunmi et al ( 61 ) from West Africa, Catley ( 62 ) from East Africa, Raza et al ( 63 ) from Pakistan's Cholistan desert, Rezende et al ( 64 ) from Minas Gerais, and Haq et al ( 65 , 66 ) from the Himalayas, have shown similar hierarchical clustering, multidimensional scaling, and associations.…”

Ethnobiological Uses of Plant Species among the three Ethnic Communities in the Administrative District (Kupwara) of Jammu and Kashmir-India: A cross-cultural Analysis

“…It is the home to many ethnic communities, such as Bakarwals (nomads, occupying the high-altitude regions of Kupwara), Kashmiri (living in the main valleys and are in majority) and Gujjars which are inhibited in the region form centuries. (Haq et al 2022).…”

“…Humans have been utilizing therapeutic plants since ancient times and there has been documentation of their uses for a long time (Singh et al 2020). Traditional medicine is considered as the total knowledge, human abilities and cultural practices of a community based on their beliefs, experience and theories, employed for the treatment or enhancement of both physical as well as mental health (WHO 2002;Haq et al, 2022). Developed countries often have better access to modern medicines, numerous cases allopathic medicines are derived from molecules of natural origin (plant or animal) .…”

Documentation of ethnoveterinary knowledge: Harnessing potential phytotherapy in high mountainous areas of Paddar, District Kishtwar (India)

“…The difference in use patterns might be due to cultural and biological differences as well as geographic separation of the regions (Gairola et al 2014;Haq et al 2022).…”