People and plants-close relationships at the crossroads of the Silk Roads: the case of Tajikistan
Kotowski M. Świerszcz S. Nobis M. Laldjebaev M. Palavonshanbieva B. Nowak A.
2024Ilia State University, Institute of Botany, Department of Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany Research and Applications
2024#27
Background: This study examines the spatial relationship between human populations, livestock and wild useful plants in Tajikistan, a key area along the ancient Silk Roads. It aims to understand how the distribution of these plants correlates with the presence of humans and livestock. Methods: The study uses statistical analyses, including the LSVM model, to assess the distribution of 4269 plant species, of which 1823 are identified as useful. Various factors such as bioclimatic conditions and plant use categories are taken into account. Results: The results indicate a significant correlation between the distribution of useful plants and human population, especially in urbanized areas, which cover 7.4% of Tajikistan. In particular, flora functionality significantly influences human population distribution. Conclusions: The research highlights the importance of spatial relationships between humans and useful flora in population distribution. It suggests that these relationships should be included in models predicting human settlement patterns based on environmental factors.
ethnobotany , human population distribution , Middle Asia , spatial relationship , supervised learning models , support vector machines , Tajikistan , useful plants
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Botanical Garden Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kraków, Poland
Institute of Agroecology and Plant Production, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Central Asia, GBAO, Khorog, Tajikistan
Botanical Garden of the Wrocław University, Wrocław, Poland
Botanical Garden Center for Biological Diversity Conservation in Powsin
The Franciszek Górski Institute of Plant Physiology
Institute of Agroecology and Plant Production
Institute of Botany
Graduate School of Public Policy
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Botanical Garden of the Wrocław University
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