Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the Cultural Significance of Plants in Hungarian Communities in Slovenia

Babai, Dániel; Szépligeti, Mátyás; Tóth, Antónia; Ulicsni, Viktor

doi:10.1556/022.2020.00021

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…We interviewed local residents, especially practicing and retired farmers, who were considered to be knowledgeable about the local fauna. We contacted our interviewees partly based on earlier ethnobiological works (Babai et al, 2021;, and to a lesser extent through snowball sampling. The average age of the interviewees was 75 (53-92) in in Hungary.…”

Section: Methods Of Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Ulicsni,

Molnár,

Szentirmai

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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Locals engaged in traditional farming and possessing traditional ecological knowledge consider certain species worthy of protection, as do official nature conservationists, although the sets of taxa may not be identical. Exploring the relationship between the two sets of taxa could bring many practical benefits, yet the literature on this subject is scarce. For more efficient conservation and better engagement and knowledge co‐production with locals, it is necessary to understand the principles, preferences and worldviews of the two knowledge systems, and the drivers behind the choices of which animal species to protect. We examined which animal species traditional farmers and conservationists wish to protect, and why. We also examined whether there is a correlation between the extent of farmers' ecological knowledge and the number of species they regard as needing protection. In the case of the species that conservationists consider most in need of protection, we also enquired how knowledgeable local farmers are about these species. Our research was carried out in two adjacent protected sites in Central Europe along the Slovenian‐Hungarian border. We conducted 20 structured interviews with traditional farmers at each of the two sites (40 altogether), and 23 with local conservationists. Both conservationists and local farmers predominantly mentioned the protection of species that do not provide a tangible economic benefit to farmers and that show a declining population trend. Local farmers with greater species knowledge did not know significantly more than those with less knowledge about the species to be protected, nor did they list more legally protected species. The preliminary assumption of the conservationists was that the locals knew the species and listed the ones to be protected for essentially functional reasons (e.g. usefulness). By contrast, it was found that many more aspects (e.g. population trends, appearance) also had a significant impact. Once the boundaries between the two knowledge systems are removed, collaboration between the stakeholder groups can facilitate the protection of natural assets and local communities. We consider it the responsibility of conservationists (together with ethnoecologists and other researchers) to ensure that these preferences are properly understood for the benefit of conservation and local communities. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Methods Of Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Ulicsni,

Molnár,

Szentirmai

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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“…A decreased abundance of wild plants was observed by several authors [69,102,110,111], frequently attributed to changing climate [79,88,90] or the disappearance of the place of growth following ecosystem changes [56,93,96,112,113]. Some elderly informants reported that landscape changes such as forest expansion and decreased coppices or agricultural intensification are among the anthropogenic land-use changes responsible for this reduction [58,107,109,114], and others blame the practice of intensive mowing [90,113] as well as the increased use of chemical products as responsible [57,83]. Similarly, some informants noted that the disappearance of sheep herding resulted in a decreased abundance of wild plants [69].…”

Section: Environmental Reasonsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Foraging Practices and Sustainable Management of Wild Food Resources in Europe: A Systematic Review

Mina

Scariot

Peira

et al. 2023

Land

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Wild food gathering activities (i.e., foraging practices) played an important role in securing food in the past. Nowadays, these resources and the knowledge around their use are experiencing a process of erosion. This article aims to identify the factors explaining the abandonment or, on the other hand, the preservation of foraging practices in Europe. The second aim is to analyze how these practices contribute to the economic and social development of local communities and to the sustainability of land management. A systematic review of the literature on European foraging practices was performed to answer these research questions. Following this approach, 111 publications were selected and analyzed. The results highlight that the reasons for the abandonment of foraging practices are related to socio-economic changes as well as changes in the environment such as reduced availability and land-use change. On the other hand, heritagization processes of these resources, such as wild plants sold as traditional local products, in restaurants, or as eco-tourism experiences, are emerging. The sustainability of these practices has not been widely evaluated in the literature. Efficient management strategies of wild food resources could help foster all three dimensions of sustainability at the local level, as well as help preserve traditional knowledge. This systematic review thus contributes to highlighting the framework in which the sustainability of these practices should be assessed.

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The Importance of Pine Species in the Ethnomedicine of Transylvania (Romania)

Papp

Purger

Czigle

et al. 2022

Plants

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The geographical and ecological features of Transylvania enable the wide ethnobotanical use of pine species. The aim of this study was to survey the current ethnomedicinal and other traditional use of pine species of Hungarian-speaking ethnic groups in Transylvania and to compare them with earlier reports performed in Transylvania and from other countries related to the Carpathian Basin. Information on pine species was obtained using semi-structured interviews with 515 Transylvanian informants from 18 villages in the period 2007–2019. The young shoots of Abies alba Mill., Picea abies (L.) H. Karst., Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold, and Pinus sylvestris L. were applied to treat respiratory diseases, while the resin was used for dental problems. Syrup and decoction were made from the cones of all species, except Abies alba. Picea abies was the most frequently documented with seven preparations from different parts (even needles), and this species was mentioned in the treatment of 21 diseases. The least recorded was Abies alba, which was applied for coughs and decayed teeth. We recorded the use of the cones and needles of Picea abies for dyspnoea, thyroid glands, and kidney disorders, previously unknown in ethnomedicinal literature. Our data on the pine species confirm their current use and significance in Transylvania.

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Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the Cultural Significance of Plants in Hungarian Communities in Slovenia

Cited by 3 publications

References 9 publications

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Poor convergence between local traditional farmers and conservationists on which species to protect locally

Foraging Practices and Sustainable Management of Wild Food Resources in Europe: A Systematic Review

The Importance of Pine Species in the Ethnomedicine of Transylvania (Romania)

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