Ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional practice in the frame of urban ecosystem services on the example of the city of Kragujevac (Serbia)

Abstract

The ethnobotanical studies provide a generalized survey of ethnobotanical knowledge, traditional practices, and plant species utilization using by humans a range of provisioning ecosystem services, referring dominantly to rural and less to urban settlements. This study aims to answer the question of whether traditional ethnobotanical knowledge is applied in urban areas in the context of the selection and utilization of medicinal, aromatic, and wild edible plant species. The research was conducted in the urban area of the city of Kragujevac (central Serbia) in the period from May to October 2021. Data collection was performed "in situ" using semi-structured ethnobotanical face-to-face interviews with 43 respondents. The total number of finally selected plant species reported by respondents was 24. They were classified according to their purpose of use as medicinal, food, and ornamental. Herein, the analyzed urban population mostly utilized plant species for edible purposes.

Keywords

• ethnobotany
• urban ecosystem services
• useful plants
• central serbia