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Ethnopharmacological relevance: Nepal, a mountainous country having diversified topographic and climatic conditions, gives rise to a wide range of flora and fauna
. In villages ethnic people, including Magar and Majhi highly depend on medicinal plants for their primary healthcare. Due to overexploitation, encroachment in forest for arable land and destruction of natural habitat, potentially useful medicinal plants are going to be threatened in their natural environment. There is a strong need to enlist highly valuable medicinal plants and use traditional knowledge to protect, utilize and manage them in ex-situ and in-situ conservation. The present research investigates and documents traditional knowledge on medicinal plants utilization as natural medicine by two ethnic communities Magar and Majhi of Parbat district in Western Nepal. Methods Ethnomedicinal data was collected during 2012–2013 by the following standard ethnobotanical methods. Data about medicinal uses of herbs, shrubs and trees were collected using semi-structured questionnaire, field observation, personal interview and group discussion with 334 (130 men and 204 women) pre-identified local informants, among which 13 male and 2 female were local healers. Statistical tool, informant consensus factors (FIC) and fidelity level (FL) values were used to analyze the importance of ethnomedicinal plants. Results A total of 132 ethnomedicinal plant species belonging to 99 genera and 67 families have been documented. These plants are used to treat various diseases and disorders grouped under 12 disease categories, with the highest number of species (61) being used for gastro-intestinal, parasitic and hepatobiliary disorders (FIC=0.78%), followed by blood and lymphatic system (FIC=0.76%) category. The highest fidelity level (FL) values recorded in Paris polyphylla (FL=96.0%) followed by Bergenia ciliata (FL=95.0%) confirms that these plants are the best plant species with medicinal properties. Conclusions The two ethnic communities, Magar and Majhi, in Parbat district are rich in ethnomedicinal knowledge. The high degree of consensus among the informants suggests that current use and knowledge are still strong, and thus the preservation of indigenous knowledge would show good foresight in acting before much has been lost
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The book is the outcome of a research project 'Management of Knowledge System in Natural Resources: Exploring Policy and Institutional Framework in Nepal' undertaken by ForestAction Nepal with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada
. When the research project was completed with a set of case studies and a review of theories related to knowledge systems and governance and shared the findings with a network of readers, feedback was very encouraging. This led to compiling the work as a book so that the empirical findings and insights emerging from the analysis could be disseminated to a wider audience. While preparing the case study reports, it was seen that the insights could be potentially beneficial to the policy makers, researchers, planners and field practitioners for developing an understanding of the knowledge systems and their deliberative interface. This idea was materialised with a generous and continued support from IDRC. It is hoped that the compilation of case studies on natural resources, in the light of critical and theoretical insights, will help understanding of the intricacies of knowledge systems as they relate to governance practices. There is indeed a continuing need for better understanding of the contexts, processes and outcomes of the production of knowledge and its application in various facets of governance of human society. In this context, the main goal of presenting the case studies in this book has been to understand how different systems of knowledge operate in the field of natural resource management, and what factors and conditions affect the process of deliberation among such knowledge systems. Four key systems of knowledge in Nepal have been categorized based on the political perspectives and ideologies, which social agents bring in the discourses and practices of natural resource governance.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the adaptation, cultural continuity and change among the in-migrant Thakalis in Pokhara, Nepal
. The Thakali community has attracted considerable attention, but a study dealing specifically with adaptation and change among the migrant Thakali groups in various parts of Nepal is lacking. Migration is not a new phenomenon for Thakalis and in the past, most of them were involved in a process that might be characterised as cyclic or circulatory migration. This was sufficient to bring them into contact with other communities in the lowland villages, towns and cities of Nepal and thereby initiate among them a process of social and cultural change and adaptation
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