Overview of the traditional Indonesian knowledge on the use of reptiles

Abstract

Local people in many parts of Indonesia have long utilized reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards) and their products for various purposes. Nation-wide data on the species and its use by local people, however, is still lacking. This paper aimed to provide an overview of the nation-wide traditional use of reptiles by the local people. The data were collected and collated from 42 relevant papers published in the last twenty years (2001-2019). Of the available data from 19 provinces, 59 reptile species have been recorded being used by local people, categorized into indigenous/folk medicine (47 species), food/protein source (20 species), part of traditional and culture (11 species), subsistent income generation (10 species), ecological reasons (6 species), venom extraction (2 species), and pet (1 species). In general, reptiles were mostly used as a remedy for skin diseases, while large-sized species were commonly used for subsistent income generation and or as a protein source. The reptiles could also be used as part of the traditional and culture (e.g., ritual ceremony, good omen/charm, and bad sign). Although Indonesia consists of many islands, there are many common or similar traditional knowledge of the local people resided on different islands.