Ethnobotany of Upper Hantana Catchment Area

Abstract

products form the backbone of subsistence and local economies in rural communities in the world. In Sri Lanka too forest products are an integral part of the rural economy. This study investigated the ethnobotanical importance of four planted woodlands [(i) Alstonia (ALW), (ii) Paraserianthes (PAW), (iii) mixed species (MSW) and (iv) Pinus (PIW)] and an adjacent natural forest (NF) in the upper Hantana catchment area by stratified random sampling of 75 plots, each 25 m X 20 m. The plant species within and outside the plots were identified. The peripheral communities were surveyed to obtain information on utilization of forest resources.
The woodland products gathered by the community include; timber, fuelwood, wild food, beverages, spices,medicines, foliage, ornamentals and fencing materials, to meet their daily, occasionally and regular needs and were either for sale or domestic use. The highest numbers of utility species gathered were as follows: medicinal species from the NF understorey and ALW overstorey; edible and timber species from the overstorey ALW. Among secondary woodlands, numbers of utility species found were higher in broad-leaved woodland than PIW sites. Pooling both strata and all woodlands together, 91 medicinal, 48 miscellaneous use, 47 timber, 38 edible, 25 ornamental and 7 shade plant species were recorded in the Hantana area. The medicinal value of the site ranked highest compared to the other utilization values.

Forest fringe dwellers preferred fuel wood from natural forest species for domestic use and for sale due to their high calorific value. Extensive interactions of the community with the Hantana catchment forests contribute largely to their degradation. Therefore, harvesting guidelines should be drawn and implemented to protect Hantana forest from illegal and over extraction of forest products.