Current Scenario of Wild Edible Plants (WEPs), their Importance, Possible Threats, and Conservation: A Mini Review
Rupali Shirsat
Department of Botany, Shri Dr. R. G. Rathod College of Arts and Science, Murtizapur, District- Akola, M.S.-444107, India.
Tripty Jagtap
Department of Botany, Shri Shivaji College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Akola, District- Akola, M.S.-444003, India.
Ashwini Sirsat
Department of Botany, Shri Shivaji College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Akola, District- Akola, M.S.-444003, India.
Shubham Rathod
Department of Botany, Shri Shivaji College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Akola, District- Akola, M.S.-444003, India.
Dipak Koche *
Department of Botany, Shri Shivaji College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Akola, District- Akola, M.S.-444003, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The knowledge of Wild Edible Plants (WEPs) is as old as human civilization and still, they are playing a supplementary role in global food security. WEPs are an integral part of their traditional food systems and have nutritional and cultural values in their routine livelihood. WEPs are increasingly considered a potential source of a naturally healthy diet. But in many cases, the available WEPs resources are under threat of various kinds like overexploitation, overgrazing, forest fires, agricultural encroachment, etc.; the changing climate also negatively impacts on WEPs. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the conservation of the diversity of WEPs and their sustainable management. The present mini-review is an attempt to present the current scenario of WEPs, their importance, and a potential source of nutrients for future food security, ethnic knowledge associated with them, threats encountered by WEPs, and their possible sustainable management scheme.
Keywords: Traditional food system, food security, sustainable management, ethnic knowledge
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