Use and conservation of fig trees in Myanmar

A recent study of Mon et al. (2020) offers ethnobotanical knowledge of figs as well as collection and conservation practices of the ethnic minorities to contribute to the local and national government strategic plans for biodiversity conservation in Myanmar.

Most regions of Myanmar fall within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and are threatened with biodiversity loss. The government of Myanmar seeks to create a comprehensive framework for sustainable development to preserve natural ecosystems. Figs are ecological keystone species in Myanmar and are important for traditional spirituality, food and medicine. The uses by local communities often have accompanying cultural conservation practices that are important for the conservation of these sacred trees. A recent study of Mon et al. (2020) offers ethnobotanical knowledge of figs as well as collection and conservation practices of the ethnic minorities to contribute to the local and national government strategic plans for biodiversity conservation. The collaborative study covers the ethnobotanical uses of eight fig species (Ficus auricularta，F. concinna, F. geniculata，F. hispida, F. racemosa, F. religiosa，F. semicordata, and F. virens) in the Southern Shan State of Myanmar with five ethnic minority groups and researchers from Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute in Myanmar, Kunming Institute of Botany in China and University of Bonn’s Horticulture Institute in Germany.

The findings illustrate the uses of the fig species for nutrition and health treatments. The household consumption, economic, and sacred uses of figs are accompanied by sustainable practices of harvest and protection. The local communities practice traditional taboos, in situ and ex situ conservation especially for highly demanded species (F. geniculata and F. virens), and the sacred fig F. religiosa. The authors recommend conducting further studies for nutrient constituent and antioxidant activity of the edible figs and for local governments and international organizations to support conservation and ensure sustainable utilization.

Aye Mya Mon, Yinxian Shi, Xuefei Yang, Pyae Phyo Hein, Thaung Naing Oo, Cory W. Whitney, and Yongping Yang. The uses of fig (Ficus) by five ethnic minority communities in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 2020. doi 10.1186/s13002-020-00406-z