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SUMMARY OF THE ETHNOBOTANY STUDIES IN 2002

AIM

To study the use of plants by people in Labundobundo and neighbouring villages with the following specific objectives: 

Objective 1: To continue cataloguing the species of plants cultivated in the area and to investigate agricultural methods.

Objective 2: To investigate medicinal plants and their uses by the local people.

Objective 3: To identify the species of rattans in the local forests, producing a herbarium collection, and investigate the role of rattan gathering in the local economy. 

INTRODUCTION

The people of Labundobundo have extensive knowledge of local plant species. Much may be learnt about the plants by studying their uses by the people. A preliminary study of plant usage in the village was made in 2001 and this section is based on what was learnt then. 

Most of the food supply for the local villages is grown in the area. Gardens, smallholdings, plantations and farms are utilized. Over 100 plant species are cultivated for use as food, spices and flavourings, medicinal plants, materials and ornamentals. Sophisticated agricultural methods are utilized in the production of rice and legumes. 

Medicinal plants are used to treat illnesses, both for preference and in the absence of other pharmaceutical products. Many people grow medicinal plants in their own gardens, in fenced off areas known as TOGAs, to ensure their own supply. Medicinal plants can also be collected from the surrounding natural areas, including the forests. Special expertise in the preparation and uses of medicinal plants usually resides in one of the older village residents, sometimes called the ‘dukun’, who can be called upon to administer medicinal plants in times of illness. 

The surrounding forests supply fruits, timber and rattans, as well as medicinal plants. Local men have an excellent knowledge of forest plants and their uses, for instance the names of trees and the uses and values of the trees as timber. Forest products of special importance in the local economy are rattan canes, which supply an income to many men at certain times of the year when no agricultural work needs to be done. Rattans collected from the local forests are sold to rattan processing companies which use the rattans in the manufacture of furniture, much of it for export. The rattan collectors know the various species by local names but in many cases the latin names of species are not known, or are uncertain. It is also unknown whether present rates of rattan harvesting are sustainable into the future. In 2002 a major effort was made to scientifically identify the rattan species collected, in order to study the regeneration rates of the species.

METHODS

Surveys of cultivated plants were performed by field visits to smallholdings, plantations and forest gardens. Species lists were prepared for these situations and combined with similar lists for gardens and farms prepared in 2001. Local men were interviewed about horticultural and agricultural methods, with particular attention paid to their use of land and their activities in forests. 

Medicinal plants were investigated by interviews with local people, asking them about the plants they use, sometimes showing them a plant and enquiring about any medicinal properties it may have. A field trip was made with Wa Hamsiah, the most knowledgeable person in the village concerning medicinal plants. She showed us many medicinal plants and explained their uses and preparation. Herbarium specimens were prepared of some medicinal plants that could not be identified for submission to Bogor Herbarium for identification. 

Rattans were investigated by a series of field trips with knowledgeable local men, particularly La Tarahu. Specimens of all species seen were collected for submission to Bogor Herbarium. The material was wrapped in newspaper, placed in a large polythene bags, soaked in 96% alcohol, sealed then packed in cardboard boxes (Dransfield, 1986). Some species were identified in the field using descriptions published in Dransfield and Manokaran (1994). Height measurements were made on rattan plants in the Lapago grid and their positions relative to the grid line intersections were established using a tape measure. 

INITIAL RESULTS

The lists of cultivated plants grown in smallholdings and plantations were greatly expanded, giving a more accurate picture of food production in the Labundobundo area. Some species were found that were not observed in 2001. A list of species deliberately planted in forest gardens was made, but it was found that very little use has been made of true forest gardens (“Hutan Lindung”) since the local people were excluded from the Kakenauwe and Lambusanga reserves when they were established in 1982. As a result there is little interaction between local agriculture and biodiversity conservation. Forest lost to farmland is continually kept under some form of cultivation, so contributes little to forest wildlife conservation. 

More information on medicinal plants was collected, to add to the information gathered in 2001. Identification of the species concerned often presented a problem. Some plants were identified using Floras such as Keng (1990). Other plants have been sent to the Bogor Herbarium for identification. Uses of medicinal plants investigated in 2002 included treatment of cuts, boils, headache, toothache, constipation, eczema, diarrhoea, coughs, rheumatism and malaria, among other ailments. 

Economic information on commercially harvested rattans was collected during a visit to the rattan processing plant at the village of Nambo. Eleven different species of rattan have been found growing locally and can now be reliably identified. All are collected for commercial purposes. The latin names of some species have been established. These include Calamus ornatus, C. zollingeri, C. symphysipus and Daemonorops robusta. Other species have been sent to Bogor for certain identification. A collection of other palms found growing locally has also been submitted. An effort to establish growth rates of common species has been started. Twenty stems of both Calamus ornatus and Daemonorops robusta have been measured for height and mapped in the Lapago grid. Next year their heights will be remeasured to estimate annual growth rates for the species. This information will be combined with density estimates to calculate how much rattan cane can be produced from given areas on an annual basis. The resulting figures may be of use in planning the areas of extractive reserves incorporated in any future National Park.

FINAL REPORTS

A paper entitled The cultivated plants of the Lambusango area, Buton, Indonesia will be submitted for publication by Dr Andrew Powling, University of Portsmouth by June 2003.

A paper entitled Commercial rattan species of the Lambusango area, Buton, Indonesia will be submitted for publication by Dr Andrew Powling, University of Portsmouth by June 2003.

A paper entitled Medicinal plants used in the Lambusango area, Buton, Indonesia will be submitted for publication by Dr Andrew Powling, University of Portsmouth by June 2004.

REFERENCES

Dransfield, J. (1986) A guide to collecting palms. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 73: 166-176.

Dransfield, J. & Manokaran, N. (eds.) (1994) Plant Resources of South East Asia No. 6: Rattans. PROSEA, Bogor.

Keng, H. (1990) The concise flora of Singapore: Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Singapore Univ. Press, Singapore.