Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into habitat restoration: implications for meeting forest restoration challenges

Abstract

Background Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) helps tribal communities adapt to socio-ecological changes, improving the long-term sustainability of their livelihood strategies and fostering social–ecological resilience. TEK provides thorough understanding of ecosystem dynamics, as well as how they relate to societal norms, practices, and resource use patterns. The integrity of TEK is often in jeopardy due to changes in belief systems, regional languages, traditional ways of subsistence, and disruption of traditional social–ecological systems. Landscape restoration has the ability to promote self-determination while safeguarding the livelihoods, beliefs, cultural, and biodiversity of indigenous peoples. However, there is a substantial knowledge gap on how TEK might aid ecosystem restoration, particularly in elephant corridors. Methods The current study focused on gathering traditional ecological knowledge on the woody tree species from the Dering-Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Corridor using semi-structured interviews, group discussions, and direct observations. The acquired data were applied to heat map cluster analysis and ordination techniques using R software version 4.0.0. Results Traditional usage information of 31 tree species utilized for food, fodder, timber, fuelwood, medicinal, and livelihood by local people was gathered. Most of the species utilized locally belonged to the families Combretaceae and Fabaceae. The species were classified into single, double, or multi-uses based on the extent of utilization. Azadirachta indica, Phyllanthus emblica, and Syzygium cumini (six each) had the highest utilization, while Mesua ferrea had the lowest. Chionanthus ramiflorus, Artocarpus heterophyllus, and Dillenia indica were among the plants valuable to wildlife, providing both forage and habitat for a wide variety of birds and animals. Artocarpus heterophyllus, Averrhoa carambola, Mangifera indica, P. emblica, Psidium guajava, and S. cumini were among the plants important for the livelihoods of the local community. Our findings demonstrated that local people were knowledgeable about the plant species to use as pioneer species, such as Bombax ceiba, Albizia lebbeck, D. indica, S. cumini, P. emblica, Lagerstroemia speciosa, and Alstonia scholaris, for habitat restoration in a diverse habitat. We classified the habitat of the enlisted species into different categories, and two clusters (clusters 1 and 2) were identified based on the similarity of woody species in different habitats. We prioritized multiple tree species for eco-restoration using the information collected through TEK. We planted 95,582 saplings on 150 hectares in the Dering-Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Corridors’ degraded habitat patches, which will serve as future reference site for landscape rehabilitation. Out of total saplings planted, 56% of the species were linked to native communities through ethnobotanical uses, as well as providing connectivity and habitat for elephant movement, 16% of all woody species are pioneer species to colonize a degraded habitat, 15% of all woody species are preferred food and foraging by wildlife, and 13% of the species as a source of livelihood for local people, incorporating social, economic, cultural, and biodiversity benefits into the restoration framework. Conclusion The current study also provides insights how the TEK can assist with aspects of ecological restoration, from reference ecosystem reconstruction and adaptive management through species selection for restoration, monitoring, and evaluation of restoration effectiveness.

Plant cultural indicators of forest resources from the Himalayan high mountains: implications for improving agricultural resilience, subsistence, and forest restoration

“…In the trans-Himalayan region of Nepal, 121 and 116 species, respectively, were reported [ 37 , 38 ]. From the Western Himalayas of Pakistan, more than 100 plant species were recorded in each study conducted previously [ 39 ] and from Kashmir Himalayan region less than 100 plant species were reported by [ 15 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 39 – 41 ]”.…”

“…In recent years, the field of Ethnobiology has garnered significant attention due to its exploration of the multifaceted influences of social, economic, ecological restoration, and political factors on local plant knowledge systems. Various studies have examined the impact of these drivers on different aspects, including the diverse ethnic groups [ 10 ], age demographics [ 11 ], socioeconomic conditions [ 12 ], religious beliefs [ 13 ], geopolitical transformations [ 14 ], and eco-restoration [ 15 ]. Biocultural heritage serves as the foundation for understanding the intricate connections between biological diversity and the language, cultural memory, ecological knowledge, and social values of local and indigenous communities [ 16 , 17 ].…”

The importance of worldwide linguistic and cultural diversity for climate change resilience

“…Specifically, Indigenous Peoples have been directly involved in the characterisation of climate and ecological dynamics affecting the Tibetan plateau (Klein et al., 2014), in the analysis of shark ecology in the context of climate‐change‐driven modifications in the Arctic marine environment (Mistry & Berardi, 2016), or in the protection of mangrove ecosystems (Gnansounou et al., 2021; Loch & Riechers, 2021; López‐Angarita et al., 2016; Moore et al., 2022). Such understanding of climate and biodiversity dynamics has been shown to inform the capacity of Indigenous Peoples to anticipate further changes and reduce their vulnerability to ongoing environmental changes (Haq et al., 2023; Ullmann et al., 2022). Indigenous Peoples therefore play direct roles in conceiving and implementing policies and practices of resilience and adaptations to climate change and biodiversity losses (Díaz et al., 2019; Ullmann et al., 2022).…”

“…The extent of the worldwide extinction of languages and dialects has been compared to that of species extinction (Sutherland, 2003). In other words, the integrity of Indigenous cultures is under threat, thus jeopardising the dynamic relationship between the diversity of languages and dialects, traditional systems of ecological knowledge and the potential of resilience to environmental pressures (Haq et al., 2023).…”

Tree diversity and regeneration dynamics toward forest conservation and environmental sustainability: A case study from Nawabganj Sal Forest, Bangladesh

“…Biological diversity refers to the assortment of different life forms found on Earth, encompassing animals, plants, and even microorganisms (Hald-Mortensen, 2023). Tree diversity is a crucial component of plant diversity as it enhances the variety of other organisms by providing them with food and shelter (Haq et al, 2023). A tropical moist deciduous forest, often known as a Sal Forest, is characterized by the dominance of a single plant species, specifically the Sal tree (Shorea robusta Gaertn.…”