12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow - Earth Science India

National Conference on Science of Climate Change and Earth’s Sustainability: Issues and Challenges ‘A Scientist-People Partnership’
12-14 September, 2011, Lucknow
construction. The Soligas are the indigenous people of this area who have traditionally
resided in the forested regions of MM Hills. Lingayaths migrated to MM Hills around
600 years ago as local priests. Both communities have long term dependence and links
with the forest, their traditional ecological knowledge is still rich and extensive. They
are marginal farmers having average 1.5 acre of agriculture land which is not fully fit
for farming. Their average per capita agriculture income is Rs.485 for Soligas and
Rs.1165 for Lingayath which is not even sufficient for six months. Therefore, they have
been depending on public distribution system for their food and wild vegetables for
their nutrients and calories to supplement their diet. They eat a variety of wild plant
parts species in different seasons. This study is dedicated to develop a comprehensive
inventory of ethno botanical knowledge from forest dependent communities in Malai
Maadeshawara (MM) Hills Reserve Forest before it erodes.
Documenting the traditional knowledge of tribal communities on wild vegetables
and to assess the conservation status of more frequently used wild vegetable species in
the forest, data was gathered by using a questionnaire and random transact sampling.
The database from the ethno botanical inventory was used to calculate a Use
Index (UI) for each species. Ninty-two plant species are used by the forest dependent
community as wild vegetables, of which 58 (62%) species are collected from the forest;
the remaining are found as wild in agriculture lands. Four wild plants are popular and
were found to be used in all houses as food.
The uses of diversity of wild plants have evolved over generations as a survival
strategy. Unique recipes incorporating these wild plants are a tradition among these
families. We found that the local communities perceive a decline in the availability of
the wild edible plants species, possibly due to unsustainable harvesting practices. The
communities relate usage of wild plants to seasonal plant availability and the plant’s
phonological status. They can predict the availability of wild vegetables with respect to
micro-climatic changes, indicating long-term intimate knowledge of their surrounding.
The overall potential dietary pattern is that of a pronounced seasonal change in the
quality of plant foods. Variety of types of food items provided by several different type
of plants during the rainy season to mainly fruit/seed/pods and/or underground parts in
the dry season. These findings will be useful for further studies on the nutritional values
and conservation of these plants.
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