Ethnobotanical Study of Wild Edible Plants Used by Local Communities in Mandura District, North West Ethiopia
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Date
2019-08-09
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Changes in the life style of human society due to domestication of selected species and devel-oping agro forestry caused ignorance of wild food plants and related knowledge. Moreover, the extensive utilization coupled with other human activities such as agricultural expansion, firewood and charcoal extraction and introduction of exotic species affects the natural envi-ronment where wild food plants occur. This study aimed to explore and document the wild ed-ible plants along with the traditional knowledge on utilization of wild food plant resources used by local people in Mandura district Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 66 informants were selected by Systematic random sampling method from 5 study sites selected purposively. Semi-structured interview, focus group discussion and field observations were tools of data collection. Descriptive statistics, preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, and informant con-sensus were used to analyze the data. A total of 25 wild edible plant species have been identi-fied from the study area. Of these plants species, trees account for 40% followed by shrubs (28%), herbs (20%) and climber (12%). Regarding with edible parts, fruits account 13(52%) followed by leaves 6 (24%), young stem 3 (12%), tuber 2 (8 %) and seeds 1(4%). These plant species are consumed either raw (60%) or cooked (40%) and most of them are collected by women or children. According to preference ranking analysis, leaves of Justicia ladanoides and Croton macrostachyus Del are the most preferred plant species because of their sweet taste. Although most popular multi-purpose wild food plants species such as Balanites aegyptiaca, Cordia africana , Saba comorensis are mostly exploited and endangered species due to, human impacts such as introduction of exotic weedy species, charcoal making, fire wood collection, house hold construction, and deforestation for agricultural expansion lands contributed much to the disappearance of these plants. But conservation practice of these wild food plants by lo-cal communities is less. Thus, community participation is the suggested solution for the con-servation and sustainable use of the wild edible plants in study area.
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Conservation Practice, Wild Food Plants, Mandura District