Wild edible plants used by the people of Manang district, Central Nepal

Plant diversity plays an important role in maintaining the world's foods demands. Even today in Manang, a remote, mountainous district within the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal, local people gather substantial amounts of wild plants to meet their daily nutritional needs, with several species also used for trade. There has been little documented regarding the use of these wild foods, which play a part in both daily nutrition, and survival during times of famine. Moreover, planning for development, land use, economic growth and biodiversity conservation has not taken them into account. Information about edible wild plant use was gathered by interviewing knowledgeable villagers over a period of five years (2002-2006). In total, 41 plant species were used as sources of fruits, juice, vegetables, and achar (local relish or pickle). Several wild food plants that need intensive processing before consumption were documented, including the calcium oxalate containing Arisaema species. The traditional knowledge of use of wild food plants is decreasing in many parts of the world with the introduction of modern packed food items and Manang is not the exception. The results of this research will help to play a catalytic role to encourage dialogue among the people of Manang, and national and international scientific communities regarding long term bioprospecting research, and shape the creation of a rural livelihood strategy. Analysis of the nutritive and health values of some of these edible plant species may encourage the scientific community to build partnerships with local community to work towards long term sustainable utilization and conservation.