ETHNOBOTANICAL PERSPECTIVES: SUSTAINABLE USE AND MANAGEMENT OF DESERT PLANT RESOURCES FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Desert regions host unique plant biodiversity that has sustained human populations for millennia through diverse ethnobotanical applications. This paper reviews the traditional knowledge of desert plant resources across major deserts (Sahara, Thar, Sonoran, Arabian, Gobi, Kalahari, Australian deserts, and others) and examines strategies for their sustainable use and management. Indigenous and local communities have developed deep knowledge of wild desert flora for food, medicine, fodder, and material culture, enabling human adaptation to extreme arid environments. Examples from around the world highlight how desert plants such as Prosopis cineraria, Hoodia gordonii, Carnegiea gigantea (saguaro), and Argania spinosa are integral to cultural traditions and livelihoods. However, socio-economic changes, overharvesting, and environmental pressures—including climate change and habitat degradation—threaten both these plants and the associated traditional knowledge. Case studies demonstrate successful community-based management and conservation practices, from the Bishnoi peoples’ protection of Prosopis trees in the Thar Desert to Australian Aboriginal methods of wild food plant propagation. We also discuss the intersection of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge with modern science, noting that many desert plants hold significant pharmacological potential and are subjects of current research and commercialization. Ensuring sustainable use for future generations will require integrating indigenous knowledge in resource management, strengthening benefit-sharing mechanisms, cultivating and conserving threatened species, and engaging younger generations in ethnobotanical heritage. The preservation of desert ethnobotanical knowledge and resources is not only vital for the cultural identity and well-being of desert communities, but also for global biodiversity and sustainable development goals.