Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants and Their Implications for Environmental Conservation in Adola Rede District, Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Indigenous Knowledge Systems is the complex set of knowledge, skills and technologies existing and developed around specific conditions of populations and communities indigenous to a specific geographic area (Ndangwa, 2007)The objective of this study was to document and analyze the traditional medicinal plants used for treating human and livestock ailments along with the associated local indigenous knowledge of the people and their implications for environmental conservation in Adola Rede district, southern Ethiopia. Informations were gathered from 120 People (65 males and 55 Females). The informants, except the healers, were selected randomly and no appointment was made prior to the visits. Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews with informants, field observations, guided field walk, group discussion with traditional medicine practitioners. Most of the medicinal plants were collected from the wild. The most frequently utilized plant parts were leaves followed by roots, bark and stem. The administration routes are oral, external, ear and nasal. The principal threatening factors for medicinal plants reported were agricultural expansion and fire. Documenting the eroding plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area. Sustainable management of indigenous plants is accomplished through harvesting practices, seed propagation and control of plant use by the local chief. These management strategies may be referred to as in situ management methods in which the fruits, leaves, roots, bulbs, stem, bark and wood are harvested in their habitats and direct conservation methods are applied to sustain the resources. Communities are utilizing a wide range of plant species for medicine, food, fodder, construction, shade, and hunting and in social events. People use native plant species for different purpose and they do not consider what happened on their environment if they not use in sustainable way. Any stakeholder, government and none governmental organization gives awareness for local community to protect our environment.