Understanding plant resource use by the ≠Khomani Bushmen of the southern Kalahari

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Previously, conservation activities were mainly focussed upon the establishment of protected areas that safeguarded and shielded the natural world from misuse, often resulting in the forced removal of indigenous communities.In South Africa, the≠Khomani Bushmen, were one such group forcibly evicted from their homelands.Today, the community has regained access to their ancestral lands in the form of a land claim, settled in 1999, that awarded the community land rights in the form of six farms and land use rights within the now Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP).This gave them the right to use and manage their property falling within the park together with the conservation authority responsible for the Park, South African National Parks (SANParks). This study aims to improve our understanding of the use of resources by the≠Khomani Bushmen.By obtaining insight on resource use and how knowledge of this use is transferred and shared, information on how to better involve and integrate the community in management processes is generated.The study identified the most important plants currently used within the ≠Khomani community and assessed this use.Additionally, social network analysis (SNA) was used to investigate how the social network structure depicts the distribution of knowledge which affects the community's ability to manage their natural plant resources effectively.In an ethnobotanical survey, over 90 individuals were interviewed, using semi-structured interviews, on the farms awarded to the community.In total, 59 plant species from 28 families were found to be in use.Medicinal plants were most frequently cited (60%), with edible plants comprising a further 20%.Data was also collected on social relations surrounding the acquisition, generation and transfer of plant use knowledge.The knowledge networks all depict isolated individuals on the periphery and a few individuals loosely connected to central structures. This study demonstrates that wild plant use remains an important practice for the ≠Khomani people, primarily for medicinal purposes.It serves as baseline data on plant resources being used by the community and adds to our understanding of how traditional knowledge is being transmitted.The insight provided by SNA depicts the current distribution of knowledge and should be used by the community, as supported by network weavers and SANParks, to achieve their joint management goals.Network weaving can potentially counteract ecologically unsustainable practices, promoting collaboration and the transfer of traditional ecological knowledge.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University