Alfred Nyero

Wild Food Plants in and Around Queen Elizabeth National Park: Indigenous Knowledge and Ecological Status of Wild Food Plants Alfred Nyero

This study was on wild food plants (WFPs) indigenous knowledge and their ecological status in Queen Elisabeth National Park (QENP), Uganda. The study objectives were: (1) to inventory wild food plants (WFPs) known to the communities, (2) to establish if the communities in and around QENP consume WFPs, (3) to compare indigenous knowledge related to WFPs among age groups, gender and ethnicity. (4) to determine the ecological status of selected WFPs species. Semi-structured interviews involving free listing technique with households and groups of respondents; food diary and transect walks were used to capture data. A total of 66 WFPs species were identified in the families of Solanaceae (7 species, frequency = 249) and Amaranthaceae (6 species, frequency = 501). Partial correlation showed age of the respondents as the predictor of WFPs indigenous knowledge, (p=0.011). Gender or ethnicity of the respondent did not affect WFPs knowledge, (p<0.05). Nine WFPs species were recorded during the ecological study using the plot method in three ecosystems of grassland, woodland and forest within QENP.