Resilience of Indigenous healthcare systems : Ethnobotanical approaches among the Baka, southeastern Cameroon
Gallois, Sandrine (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Pulgar, Miroslav (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)
Broccatelli, Chiara (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)
van Bemmel, Stijn (Leiden University)
Ambassa, Appolinaire (Baka Community Moangue-Le Bosquet)
Ngansop, Eric (Herbier National du Cameroun)
van Andel, Tinde (Naturalis Biodiversity Center)
Molina, José Luis (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Antropologia Social i Cultural)
Reyes-García, Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Indigenous Peoples rely on biodiversity and traditional knowledge for health and well-being, yet biological and cultural systems are threatened by ecological and social changes. Limited understanding exists on the factors that support the resilience of Indigenous Peoples' healthcare systems-the capacity of a healthcare system to adapt to disturbances while continuing to provide appropriate health services. This study explores how medicinal plants and ethnobotanical knowledge contribute to the resilience of Indigenous Peoples' healthcare systems, working specifically with the Baka, forager-horticulturalists from Cameroon. The Baka rely on medicinal plants for their health but face several social and ecological challenges that affect their livelihood, culture and well-being. We explored how the Baka healthcare system prevents and treats different health issues with plant-based remedies, assessed the contribution of plant species in this system and evaluated potential threats to the Baka healthcare system. Using a mixed-methods approach combining free listing of medicinal plants, self-reported health recalls, walk-in-the-wood trips, individual knowledge surveys and botanical collection, we engaged 263 individuals (108 children and 155 adults) across two settlements. We developed indices to evaluate the resilience of the healthcare system. We identified 281 medicinal plant species used to treat 104 health issues, resulting in a total of 1187 remedies (i. e. pairings of a single species with a specific health issue). Twelve species were used for many health problems (considered as having moderate-to-high multifunctionality), and 135 species were used in uncommon ways (considered atypical). Nine health issues were treated by a few plant species (considered low-redundancy issues). About 40 species were found to be under pressure from logging, market demands or under conservation threats, with implications for the whole healthcare system. By integrating different ethnobotanical methods, this research provides a detailed understanding of medicinal plant diversity and therapeutic redundancy within the Baka healthcare system. We discuss the potential of ethnobotanical indices to help assess the resilience of healthcare systems-and, broadly, social-ecological systems. We also discuss the implications of our insights for public health policies targeting the Baka and other Indigenous Peoples, as well as for the conservation of biocultural diversity.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M European Commission 801370 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2020/BP-00216
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Congo basin ; Medicinal knowledge ; Medicinal plants ; Social-ecological system ; Utilitarian redundancy
Published in:	People and Nature, (September 2025) , p. 1-16, ISSN 2575-8314

DOI: 10.1002/pan3.70163

16 p, 5.0 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles