Abstract
BackgroundIn Europe and the Mediterranean, over-exploitation and destructive harvesting techniques have been identified as two critical threats affecting the sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal plant (WMP) species. However, unsustainable harvesting is not an issue everywhere and localized assessments are needed. Local knowledge has been praised for its potential for local short-term assessments. In this study, we aimed to register the known, harvested, and locally utilized WMP species and understand local knowledge of harvesters about the ecological sustainability of WMP harvesting and the perceived changes of WMP availability.Materials and methodsThis study was conducted on Lemnos island, Greece, in July and August 2018. Sixteen harvesters knowledgeable about gathering and using WMP were chosen through purposeful and snowball sampling. Successive free-lists provided insights on the taxa known, harvested, and utilized by harvesters and subsequent semi-structured interviews served to understand harvesting practices and perceived changes of WMP availability. Participant observation during seven harvesting walks allowed for additional insights and facilitated the collection of voucher specimens.ResultsIn total, 144 different plant taxa were listed as useful and 81 had been harvested in the prior 4 years. Medicinal applications were mainly related to digestive and respiratory system issues. A number of favorable harvesting practices suggested a high potential towards an ecologically sustainable harvest. Although, a decreased availability for certain plant taxa and harvesting sites was reported and mainly attributed to external factors such as pollution, unusually dry weather, intentional pastureland burning or chemicals in agriculture, but also destructive harvesting by less knowledgeable harvesters.ConclusionsKnowledgeable harvesters of Lemnos gather and use a considerable number of WMP taxa and possess local knowledge that supports an ecologically sustainable harvest. However, certain plant taxa and areas of the island were indicated to be under pressure from harvesting, unusual climatic conditions, and agricultural practices. Our approach confirmed that local knowledge should be taken into account for assessing the sustainability of WMP harvesting.
Highlights
In Europe and the Mediterranean, over-exploitation and destructive harvesting techniques have been identified as two critical threats affecting the sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal plant (WMP) species
Our approach confirmed that local knowledge should be taken into account for assessing the sustainability of WMP harvesting
Wild medicinal plants of Lemnos Plants known Our respondents explained that knowledge on harvesting and utilizing wild plants was necessary for the past as Lemnos’ residents were principally dependent on the island’s provisions and had to manage these resources in a sustainable way
Summary
In Europe and the Mediterranean, over-exploitation and destructive harvesting techniques have been identified as two critical threats affecting the sustainable harvesting of wild medicinal plant (WMP) species. In Europe and the Mediterranean, over-exploitation and destructive harvesting techniques have been identified as two critical threats directly or indirectly affecting medicinal plant species [1, 2]. The main direct environmental consequence of unsustainable harvesting practices is the reduced reproduction, growth, and survival rates of the targeted species [3]. Such changes can consecutively destruct the ecosystem balances and influence the dynamics and structure of populations or even drive species to the brink of extinction [2,3,4]. Estimating the sustainability of a harvested population and the effect of wild plant harvesting on other elements of the ecosystem requires long-lasting studies and can be hard to isolate and monitor
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