Abstract
Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted to locate culturally important, regionally scarce, and disappearing medicinal plants via a novel participatory methodology which involves healer-expert knowledge in interactive spatial modeling to prioritize conservation efforts and thus facilitate health promotion via medicinal plant resource sustained availability. These surveys, conducted in the Maya Mountains, Belize, generate ethnobotanical, ecological, and geospatial data on species which are used by Q’eqchi’ Maya healers in practice. Several of these mountainous species are regionally scarce and the healers are expressing difficulties in finding them for use in promotion of community health and wellness. Based on healers’ input, zones of highest probability for locating regionally scarce, disappearing, and culturally important plants in their ecosystem niches can be facilitated by interactive modeling. In the present study, this is begun by choosing three representative species to train an interactive predictive model. Model accuracy was then assessed statistically by testing for independence between predicted occurrence and actual occurrence of medicinal plants. A high level of accuracy was achieved using a small set of exemplar data. This work demonstrates the potential of combining ethnobotany and botanical spatial information with indigenous ecosystems concepts and Q’eqchi’ Maya healing knowledge via predictive modeling. Through this approach, we may identify regions where species are located and accordingly promote for prioritization and application of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to protect them. This represents a significant step toward facilitating sustained culturally relative health promotion as well as overall enhanced ecological integrity to the region and the earth.
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This work was supported by Cleveland State University, College of Science, and the Naturaleza Foundation.
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T.P. designed study, conducted data collections and analysis, and largely wrote the paper. M.A. advised and assisted with study design, data collections and analysis and contributed heavily to the paper in the knowledge and cognitive sections and the writing thereof. D.G. developed algorithms for spatial evolutionary computation-based predictive modeling and applied them in study design, performed spatial statistical analysis and contributed heavily to sections on interactive spatial predictive modeling, study design, results and the writing thereof. N.F. assisted with study design, data collections, analysis, and mapping. J.M. assisted with study design and covariate data. V.C. assisted with on site coordination. All authors discussed results and commented on the manuscript.
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Pesek, T., Abramiuk, M., Garagic, D. et al. Sustaining Plants and People: Traditional Q’eqchi’ Maya Botanical Knowledge and Interactive Spatial Modeling in Prioritizing Conservation of Medicinal Plants for Culturally Relative Holistic Health Promotion. EcoHealth 6, 79–90 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-009-0224-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-009-0224-2