Quantifying intergenerational erosion of ethnobotanical knowledge in Coastal Iran: A comparative study of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island

Abstract

Background: Indigenous botanical knowledge is eroding worldwide due to urbanization and declining intergenerational transmission. Iran's coastal regions, especially Hormozgan Province with its mangrove ecosystems and ethnic diversity, remain understudied.

Methods: This mixed-method study (2023–2026) was conducted in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and participant observation with 150 informants selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Plant specimens were identified and deposited as herbarium vouchers. Quantitative indices (UV, RFC, ICF, FL) were calculated, and statistical analyses (t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation) examined relationships between sociodemographic factors and ethnobotanical knowledge.

Results: A total of 173 species from 134 genera and 48 families were documented, with Asteraceae (18), Lamiaceae (17), and Fabaceae (15) being most diverse. Avicennia marina (UV=1.76), Calotropis procera (UV=1.67), and Prosopis cineraria (UV=1.62) had the highest use values. Gastrointestinal (ICF=0.86) and dermatological (ICF=0.85) disorders showed the highest consensus. Avicennia marina (FL=90.2%), Calotropis procera (FL=87.5%), and Citrullus colocynthis (FL=84.9%) demonstrated the strongest fidelity. Women (11.2 vs. 6.8 species, P<0.01), elderly individuals (>70 years: 14.8 vs. 5.2 species, P<0.001), Baloch and Arab ethnic groups, and those with no formal education (14.1 vs. 5.0 species, P<0.001) possessed significantly greater knowledge, indicating severe intergenerational erosion.

Conclusions: This study provides quantitative evidence of declining indigenous plant knowledge in Iran's coastal regions. Urbanization, modernization, and formal education have failed to transmit traditional ecological knowledge. Urgent biocultural conservation strategies—participatory documentation, community empowerment, and integration into formal education—are essential to safeguard this heritage.

Keywords: Ethnobotany, indigenous knowledge, Hormozgan Province, biocultural conservation, intergenerational knowledge erosion, Persian Gulf