Ethnobotany of Berta and Gumuz people in western Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper studies the use and management of local botanical resources by the Berta and Gumuz people of western Ethiopia. The study focused on plants that are important in their lives, including those that grow in natural habitats and those maintained in fields and cultivated home gardens. Interviews were conducted along with informal discussions with the purpose of collecting ethnobotanical information on useful plants. The interviews included 125 informants; most of whom were from farming families. Information was provided on 185 plant species that serve as sources of food, medicine and other products essential for local livelihoods. The study showed that the Berta and Gumuz people rely on an assortment of plants, 30% through cultivation and 70% through direct collection from wild stands. The ethnobotanical knowledge of the people was equated with the age and educational level of the informants. Areas of conservation concern are over-harvesting of wild plants that give immediate economic returns, change in plant use due to increased dependence on fabricated materials, cultivation of crops in direct response to market needs and domestication of new plants. Recommendations are made for intervention through in-situ and ex-situ conservation. The traditional conservation options that have ensured the maintenance of the plant diversity and the indigenous knowledge base to date must be encouraged and enhanced through application of modern approaches to biodiversity conservation. This study attempts to provide baseline information that can be used in conservation planning and sustainable resource development programs in addition to documenting the cultural heritage of the people.

Key words:

• Benishangul
• biodiversity
• conservation
• domestication
• folk taxonomy