The Drung Ethnobotany

Drung,also called Dulong,is a cross-border,direct transitional,and less populated ethnic group in China.In the process of long-term mutual adaptation with their living environment,Drung people have been relying on plants to serve their survival and life,and has accumulated a lot of traditional knowledge on the use of plants and the protection of the ecological environment.For example,the collection of wild edible plants,the use of medicinal plants,the techniques of traditional beekeeping,the cultivation of Caryota obtusa,fuelwood collection,etc.Their traditional knowledge plays an indispensable role in the conservation of biodiversity,the construction of ecological civilization,and the sustainable development of the Dulongjiang region.However,there is currently few research on the ethnobotany of the Drung.With the acceleration of modernization,the traditional knowledge of Drung will inevitably be impacted in varying degrees.The traditional knowledge on which Drung depend on for survival and development is getting lost at an alarming rate.Once the precious traditional knowledge disappears,it will be an irreversible loss.Therefore,it is imperative to conduct research on the ethnobotany of the Drung.This study used ethnobotanical field investigation and quantitative analysis methods to investigate,sort,catalog and evaluate the wild edible and medicinal plants used by the Drung,investigate cases of the traditional knowledge and analyze its ecological significance.The method of food science was used to evaluate the starch of C.obtusa eaten by the Drung.The main results are as follows:(1)The wild edible plants used by Drung involve 148 species in 59 families,including 9 types of wild vegetables,wild fruits,food substitute plants,seasoning plants,nuts,oil plants,brewing plants,tea substitute plants and coagulants.Rosaceae and Gramineae are the most abundant,stems are the most commonly eaten parts,and the collection time is concentrated between March to October.(2)The medicinal plants used by Drung include 105 species of plants in 69 families.The most commonly used plants are from Compositae,and most of the whole plants are used as medicine.The common methods of processing and application of medicines are decoction and oral administration.(3)38 species of plants in 19 families are used in the traditional Drung beekeeping.Different parts of different plants are used to make beehives,fix beehives,drive away and attract bee colonies.27 species of trees are used to make beehives.The most popular beehives tree species are Alnus nepalensis,Pinus yunnanensis and Juglans regia.(4)C.obtusa is used by the Drung for various purposes,including food,material,medicinal,and ornamental purposes.The Dulong people carry out the cultivation and management of C.obtusa,and use primitive tools derived from nature to process starch,which can better separate the starch.(5)Drung use firewood as the main source of energy for cooking,heating,cooking pig food,and making wine.Collecting from forests and rivers are the main ways for Drung to obtain firewood.The two fuelwood collection methods have very obvious differences in collection distance,collection frequency,and collection weight.Conclusions of this study:(1)Drung have a wealth of wild edible plants,medicinal plants and related traditional knowledge;(2)Traditional beekeeping uses a variety of plants and contains rich traditional knowledge,which is of great significance for protecting local bees,promoting the pollination of nectar plants,ecosystem services,and maintaining the stability of the local ecosystem.There is an obvious contradiction between current wildlife protection and traditional beekeeping;(3)C.obtusa is a starch plant with high development potential.The cultivation and utilization of C.obtusa by Drung contains rich ecological concepts.It not only provides a reference method for the cultivation of C.obtusa,but also has important significance for the protection and sustainable use of C.obtusa population resources;(4)The special method of collecting fuelwood by Drung makes up the fuelwood demand of the forest edge community,while reducing their dependence on the forest,and avoiding cutting down trees without over-disturbance of local the forest ecosystem.This approach not only ensures the full use of fuelwood,but also contributes to the protection of forest biodiversity;(5)The traditional knowledge of Drung is threatened by many factors,especially the import of alien species and cultural,the loss of inheritors,single crop planting,over-collection,etc.The innovation and significance of this study are as follows:(1)It is the first time to comprehensively and systematically investigate the wild edible plants and medicinal plants used by Drung,and use the quantitative index method to evaluate the species of high cultural importance,which is helpful for the rescue,sorting,research and inheritance of the traditional ecological knowledge of Drung;(2)It is the first time to report and study the traditional beekeeping,the cultivation of C.obtusa and firewood collection of Drung,and to analyze the threat factors to them,which will help to promote the protection of traditional ecological knowledge of Drung and the economic development of Dulongjiang region;(3)The evaluation of C.obtusa Starch was carried out to provide clues for the development of new food,energy and medicine resources;(4)Analyze the ecological concepts contained in the traditional knowledge cases of Drung,such as beekeeping,firewood collection and Dong Zong cultivation,so as to promote the protection of biodiversity,the construction of ecological civilization,and the sustainable development of the Dulongjiang region.