The role of traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation among the Nicobarese of Central Nicobar Islands, India

A qualitative study guided by phenomenological approach was conducted during 2016-2018 to understand the experience of living amid climate change among the Nicobari tribes living in Central Nicobar Islands and their management practices evolved for adaptation over the years. The study showed that the economic prosperity and sustainability of Nicobarese basically depended on their traditional wisdom to mange land resources under their possession and farming practices as indicated by the strength (>6.0) of anecdotal network analysis which are evolved over the years, are found to be climate resilient. They have wealth of knowledge on island biodiversity particularly on pandanus, banana, tubers, roots and leafy vegetables besides coconut. Nicobarese also learnt the process and storage of surplus farm produce for longer duration under the existing climatic conditions. The anecdotal network analysis of nine climate change adaptation measures and eight climate change events showed that seasonal calendar and organic waste management were the best climate adaptation strategy known to tribes followed by community land use / holding

Impact of water mills on rural livelihood: A study of Arunachal Himalaya

The Himalayan people have a rich ancient tradition and heritage of utilizing water mills (Chhoskor) for grinding purposes. The Shertukpen inhabits in the western and south-western parts of the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalaya. It is an indigenous tribal group. They are carvers and experts in carving wood and stone. The purpose of this paper is to examine the rich culture of grinding practices through water mills (Chhoskor) by the Shertukpen hence, the practices of traditional watermills have an immense influence on the socio-economic and livelihood aspects of the society. It also examines how this traditional grinding practice is impacting the livelihood of rural areas. The major grinding products are food grains, fruits, vegetables, and other related products. The methods used in this study were interview, focused group discussion, and observation. A field visit was made in July 2022. The study shows that the tools of grinding are now become endangered and vulnerable. These require attention and study for preservation, whereas, the grinding practices have a huge socio-economic impact on rural areas

Leech repellents used by Estate workers in O’ valley Panchayat of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

A field study was conducted among estate workers of different types of plantations viz., cardamom, tea, clove, pepper and coffee where leech bite is common for humans and cattles in forest and estates. Plant- based products as leech repellents are used and applied by estate workers of O’valley Panchayat of Gudalur taluk in Nilgiris. The plant species used are enlisted. Estate workers as informants were interviewed with questionnaire group discussion. The data were analyzed using different statistical quantitative tools viz., use value (UV), frequency citation (FC), fidelity level (FI %) and factor informant consensus (FIC). The data obtained revealed use of seven medicinal plants as effective leech repellents. The species identified are- Oxalis latifolia L., Ageratum conizoides L., Nicotiana tobacum L., Piper betle L, Tithonia diversifolia (Hemslay), Cucumis prophetarum L. and Brugmansia suaveolens (Bercht)

Exploratory study on ITK practices prevailing in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu

India, being a tropical country with fifteen agro ecological zones, is confronted with climate change influences through droughts, floods, cyclones, heat waves, hailstorms, and coastal salinity. The climate change remains a potential challenge to farm sustainability. It also evolved as an impending threat to socio-economic status of rural population. For sustainable farming and climate change resilience, Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) could help growers in broad spectrum. The ITK system though derived out of informal experimentation, it has been developed by the community based on their experiences and incessant improvement over generations. Therefore, identifying and documenting of ITK practices is very much imperative. In this context, an exploratory research study was conducted to document the extent of awareness and community’s perceived benefits of using ITK practices along with the prevailing ITK practices in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu. It was revealed that majority of the respondents’ of about 73% and 74% were aware of crop management practices and crop protection measures respectively. Only one third of the respondents (38%) were familiarised with indigenous poultry management practices. A vast majority of the respondents (75%) perceived considerable reduction in farm expenditures by following ITK practices

Inhibition of Bungarus caeruleus snake venom toxicity by Citrus reticulata methanolic extract and in silico analysis of possible binding modes

Snakebite envenomation has been one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. Though intravenous administration of commercial anti-venom systemically neutralizes the toxicity, adverse effects are commonly seen in the post-treatment period. Plant metabolites and their derivatives have been shown to exhibit a wide range of antiophidian properties. In this study, we have investigated the Bungaruscaeruleus venom neutralization potential of Citrus aurantium and Citrus reticulata Blanco peels in terms of phospholipase and hemolytic inhibition. Methanolic extract of C. reticulata exhibited the highest inhibition (93%) of PLA2 activity. However, the extracts of both these Citrus species significantly inhibited the hemolytic activity of the venom (54–82%). Molecular docking indicated the binding of the citrus metabolites to catalytic site residues (TRP19, GLY30, TYR31, GLY32, and HIS48) of PLA2 . In vivo studies using Swiss Albino mice confirmed the neutralising capacity of the citrus peel extract, as reflected by the increase in survival time. Therefore, the study reveals that these metabolites in the methanolic extract of the citrus peel can be used as supplements for the management of snake bites

Indigenous medicinal plants of the Kani tribes in Kanyakumari District: Ethnobotanical documentation and quantitative study

The investigation identified 120 species distributed in 54 families. 70 plants of ethnomedicinal importance were identified, which have not yet been reported so far from the Kanyakumari wildlife forest of Southern-Western Ghats. 52 participants were approached three times to verify the information provided by twenty informants. This approach was undertaken to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data collected. The data quality was ensured by selecting welltrained 20 practitioners for pointing out missing information if any and the data is carefully analyzed. In total, 120 Medicinal plant species of which Dicot plants constitute 116 species (96.7%) and monocot plant constitutes 4 species (3.3%). Fabaceae with 12 (10.00%) was the most commonly reported family of medicinal plant species. The habit-wise study revealed that 40 species (33.33%) were trees, followed by the most widely used life types herb (36 species) (30%). The most popular preparation method for treating the ailment was paste (40 preparations) for internal consumption as well as external application. The documents valuable therapeutic knowledge, which opens up possibilities for future exploration in plantbased compounds and pharmaceutical inquiry. These investigations have the potential to contribute to the development of plant-based nanomedicine, drug discovery, and production. Finally, the paper deals with the combination of socio-economic and legal facets of the interaction between tribals and forests

Traditional plant-based artifacts of Odisha

The state of Odisha, formerly known as “Utkal” is a land of enchanting beauty, art, culture and it houses exquisite handicrafts made by different groups of artisans who have traditionally specialized in craft making. The field surveys were conducted during the year 2019-21 to explore the skill and knowledge of craft preparation from plant materials. A total of 46 plant species belonging to 39 genera and 21 families were documented for 73 types of artifacts preparation. Out of these 46 species, 24, 21 and 1 species were monocots, dicots and gymnosperm, respectively. They were categorised under herb (20 species) followed by tree (19 species), shrub (4 species) and climber (3 species). Data were collected through openended/structured/semi-structured interviews with artisans of different districts of Odisha. The artistic skills of Odia artists are well known in the world. Each article is aesthetically pleasing and reflects the creativity of the artisan and is a representative of local culture and tradition. There should be awareness among people to appreciate the craft products and craftsmanship to preserve this threatened traditional knowledge bestowed to us