Local and indigenous knowledge is being transformed globally, particularly being eroded when pertaining to ecology. In many parts of the world, rural and indigenous communities are facing tremendous cultural, economic and environmental changes, which contribute to weaken their local knowledge base. In the face of profound and ongoing environmental changes, both cultural and biological diversity are likely to be severely impacted as well as local resilience capacities from this loss. In this global literature review, we analyse the drivers of various types of local and indigenous ecological knowledge transformation and assess the directionality of the reported change. Results of this analysis show a global impoverishment of local and indigenous knowledge with 77% of papers reporting the loss of knowledge driven by globalization, modernization, and market integration. The recording of this loss, however, is not symmetrical, with losses being recorded more strongly in medicinal and ethnobotanical knowledge. Persistence of knowledge (15% of the studies) occurred in studies where traditional practices were being maintained consiously and where hybrid knowledge was being produced as a resut of certain types of incentives created by economic development. This review provides some insights into local and indigenous ecological knowledge change, its causes and implications, and recommends venues for the development of replicable and comparative research. The larger implication of these results is that because of the interconnection between cultural and biological diversity, the loss of local and indigenous knowledge is likely to critically threaten effective conservation of biodiversity, particularly in community-based conservation local efforts.

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Global trends of local ecological knowledge and future implications.

Micronutrient deficiency remains a serious problem in Indonesia with approximately 100 million people, or 40% of the population, suffering from one or more micronutrient deficiencies. In rural areas with poor market access, forests and trees may provide an essential source of nutritious food. This is especially important to understand at a time when forests and other tree-based systems in Indonesia are being lost at unprecedented rates. We use food consumption data from the 2003 Indonesia Demographic Health Survey for children between the ages of one and five years and data on vegetation cover from the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry to examine whether there is a relationship between different tree-dominated land classes and consumption of micronutrient-rich foods across the archipelago. We run our models on the aggregate sample which includes over 3000 observations from 25 provinces across Indonesia as well as on sub-samples from different provinces chosen to represent the different land classes. The results show that different tree-dominated land classes were associated with the dietary quality of people living within them in the provinces where they were dominant. Areas of swidden/agroforestry, natural forest, timber and agricultural tree crop plantations were all associated with more frequent consumption of food groups rich in micronutrients in the areas where these were important land classes. The swidden/agroforestry land class was the landscape associated with more frequent consumption of the largest number of micronutrient rich food groups. Further research needs to be done to establish what the mechanisms are that underlie these associations. Swidden cultivation in is often viewed as a backward practice that is an impediment to food security in Indonesia and destructive of the environment. If further research corroborates that swidden farming actually results in better nutrition than the practices that replace it, Indonesian policy makers may need to reconsider their views on this land use.

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Forests, Trees, and Micronutrient-Rich Food Consumption in Indonesia

Ethnobotanical study of Loloh: Traditional herbal drinks from Bali (Indonesia)

The island of Bali has several traditional Aga villages that survive under the pressures of an intense tourist industry and agricultural changes. In order to understand possible impacts on traditional ethnobotanical knowledge (TEK) in Bali, we interviewed local people living in 13 traditional villages regarding the number of known plants and their uses. We analyzed socioeconomic factors influencing change of such knowledge at both individual (informant) and community (village) level. We identified a total of 149 food and nutraceutical plants being used in the study area. Neither gender, occupation, income, nor level of formal education had a significant effect on TEK. However, informant’s age and village status were found to play an important role in the retention of TEK at an individual level. At the village level, the use of Internet/smart phones was an important predictor of cultural erosion.

Cultural Erosion of Balinese Indigenous Knowledge of Food and Nutraceutical Plants

Wild food plants (WFPs) are often highly nutritious but under-consumed at the same time. This study aimed to document the diversity of WFPs, and assess perceptions, attitudes, and drivers of change in their consumption among Minangkabau and Mandailing women farmers in West Sumatra. We applied a mixed-method approach consisting of interviews with 200 women and focus group discussions with 68 participants. The study documented 106 WFPs (85 species), and Minangkabau were found to steward richer traditional knowledge than Mandailing. Although both communities perceived WFPs positively, consumption has declined over the last generation. The main reasons perceived by respondents were due to the decreased availability of WFPs and changes in lifestyle. The contemporary barriers to consuming WFPs were low availability, time constraints, and a limited knowledge of their nutritional value. The key motivations for their use were that they are free and “unpolluted” natural foods. The main drivers of change were socio-economic factors and changes in agriculture and markets. However, the persistence of a strong culture appears to slow dietary changes. The communities, government and NGOs should work together to optimize the use of this food biodiversity in a sustainable way. This integrated approach could improve nutrition while conserving biological and cultural diversity.

https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/9/1240/pdf

Wild food plants and trends in their use: From knowledge and perceptions to drivers of change in West Sumatra, Indonesia

We report the first ethnobotanical study of wild and semi-wild food plants used by the inhabitants of the villages of Bali. Considering the urgent need to avoid the loss of this traditional knowledge, 50 informants from 13 “Bali Aga” villages across four districts were selected for our field investigation. Ethnobotanical data were collected through different interview methods (direct observation, semi-structured interviews, key informant interviews, individual discussions, focus-group discussions, and questionnaires). The 86 recorded species belonging to 41 families and 68 genera, including angiosperms (82) and pteridophytes (4), are categorized as wild (33) and semi-wild (53), of which 63.64% are native to Malesian, Indian, and Indochinese. Wild and semi-wild edible plants play an important role in providing the Balinese with various essential nutrients. Fourteen species (16.28%) are also used medicinally. In recent years, with the growth of the tourist industry, the wild habitats of edible plants have b...

Traditional knowledge of wild and semi-wild edible plants used in Bali (Indonesia) to maintain biological and cultural diversity

ABSTRAK. Begonia tuberosa Lmk. merupakan salah satu jenis tanaman hias yang mempunyai nilai estetika dan ekonomi tinggi. Permasalahan yang dialami dalam perbanyakan tanaman ini adalah sulitnya setek berakar, setek cepat busuk, dan terbatasnya ketersediaan bibit di pasaran. Penelitian merupakan percobaan pot yang dilakukan di dalam Rumah Kaca Balai Konservasi Tumbuhan Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali - LIPI pada ketinggian tempat 1.250 m dpl. Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh zat pengatur tumbuh tanaman (Rootone-F) dan panjang setek pucuk pada pertumbuhan Begonia tuberosa Lmk. Rancangan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah rancangan acak kelompok faktorial dengan tiga ulangan. Faktor pertama adalah konsentrasi Rootone-F (0, 150, 300, dan 450 mg/l) dan faktor kedua adalah panjang setek pucuk (5; 7,5; dan 10 cm). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa interaksi antara konsentrasi Rootone-F dan panjang setek pucuk tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap semua variabel yang diukur. Jumlah akar terbanyak diperoleh pada panjang setek 10 cm rerata sebanyak 18,25 buah dan tidak berbeda nyata dengan panjang setek 5 dan 7,5 cm. Berat kering oven total tiga ulangan bibit tertinggi diperoleh pada konsentrasi optimum 300 mg/l adalah 1,36 g dengan persentase penambahan secara berturut-turut sebesar 227,14; 70,92; dan 72,22% bila dibandingkan dengan berat total kering oven tiga ulangan bibit pada konsentrasi Rootone-F 0,150 dan 450 mg/l masing-masing 0,42; 0,80; dan 0,79 g. Panjang setek pucuk 10 cm memberikan pertumbuhan bibit B. tuberosa Lmk. tertinggi yang ditunjukkan dengan berat total kering oven tertinggi sebesar 1,58 g, jika dibandingkan dengan panjang setek pucuk 5 cm dan 7,5 cm yaitu 0,36 g dan 0,83 g terjadi peningkatan secara berturut-turut sebesar 334,94% dan 90,10%. Pertumbuhan terbaik perbanyakan B. tuberosa Lmk. dengan setek batang diperoleh dengan panjang setek 10 cm dan diberikan penambahan konsentrasi Rootone-F 300 mg/l.

https://ejurnal.litbang.pertanian.go.id/index.php/jhort/article/download/3233/2775

Pengaruh Konsentrasi Rootone-F dan Panjang Setek padaPertumbuhan Begonia tuberosa Lmk.

Bamboo occurs from lowland to highland. It is commonly utilized for construction, handicrafts and households, but its use as medicine is less known. This inventory revealed that there are six bamboo species that are potential to be used as medicine, i.e. bambu tali (Gigantochloa opus (J.A. & J.H. Schult.) Kurz), bambu ampel gading (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. var stricta), bambu pingit (Gigantochloa hasskarliana (Kurz) Backer ex Heyne), bambu tamblang gading (Schizostachyum brachycladum Kurz), bambu buluh lengis (Schizostachyum lima (Blanco) Merr.) and bambu petung (Dendrocalamus asper (Schult.) Backer ex Heyne). Further research is needed to determine the content of active compounds of those bamboo.

Inventarisasi jenis-jenis bambu yang berpotensi sebagai obat di kabupaten karangasem bali

WIDJAJA, E.A., ASTUTI, I. P., ARINASA, I. B. K. 2004. New species of bamboos (Poaceae-Bambusoideae) from Bali. Reinwardtia 12(2):199 - 204. Five new species of bamboos from Bali are described: Bambusa ooh, Dinochloa sepang, Gigantochloa aya, Gigantochloa baliana and Gigantochloa taluh in the context of a proposal field guide to Balinese bamboos. Description including the distribution and the vernacular names are provided.

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Ida Bagus Ketut Arinasa

Papers

Cultural Erosion of Balinese Indigenous Knowledge of Food and Nutraceutical Plants

Traditional knowledge of wild and semi-wild edible plants used in Bali (Indonesia) to maintain biological and cultural diversity

Pengaruh Konsentrasi Rootone-F dan Panjang Setek padaPertumbuhan Begonia tuberosa Lmk.

Inventarisasi jenis-jenis bambu yang berpotensi sebagai obat di kabupaten karangasem bali

New Species of bamboos (Poaceae-Bambusoideae) from Bali