Background: Durio graveolens is essential for the livelihoods of local communities and has been used for multiple purposes. However, the existence of this species is under threat, particularly by human activities. As a result, there is a critical need to conduct ethnobotanical investigations and document indigenous botanical knowledge of local communities in a given area. The aim of the study is to investigate the different ethnobotanical uses of Durio graveolens, as well as the associated indigenous botanical knowledge of the local community, threats, and local conservation practices in Sumatra, Indonesia.Methods: A total of 389 respondents were involved in this study, with gender, age, and educational status considered. Semistructured interviews and field observations were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Pearson's chi-square test, direct matrix ranking, and pair-wise ranking were used to compute respondents' ethnobotanical knowledge.Results: Durio graveolens provides multiple uses to local people's livelihoods as food, building materials, fuelwood, furniture, agricultural tools, fences, and fodder. Local people's indigenous knowledge of the usage of Durio graveolens has significant correlations with age groups and educational status. Respondents' consumption habits are significantly related to their age and educational status. Due to agricultural expansion and timber harvest for building materials, the status of Durio graveolens has declined. The attitudes and interests of respondents toward the maintaining and conserving of this species have been found to be significantly related to age groups and educational status.
Conclusions:The present study provides information on multiple uses of Durio graveolens. Given the importance of Durio graveolens for people and the environment in improving family food security, as well as the threats to it, it is critical to protect it in natural forests. Concerned studying of this species will eventually allow local people to receive the promised advantages in areas where this plant species is becoming rare, particularly in the Sumatra region.