Outdoor activities foster local plant knowledge in Karelia, NE Europe

Outdoor activities foster local plant knowledge in Karelia, NE Europe

Wild edible plants, particularly berries, are relevant nutritional elements in the Nordic countries. In contrast to decreasing global trends, approximately 60% of the Finnish population is actively involved in (berry) foraging. We conducted 67 interviews with Finns and Karelians living in Finnish Ka...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 8627 - 10
Main Authors: Mattalia, G., Svanberg, I., Ståhlberg, S., Kuznetsova, N., Prūse, B., Kolosova, V., Aziz, M. A., Kalle, R., Sõukand, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 27-05-2023
Nature Publishing Group
Nature Portfolio
Subjects:
704/844
704/844/2787
Adult
Allergens
Child
Children
Environmental behavior
Europe
Famine
Finland - epidemiology
Food
Food plants
Foraging behavior
Health promotion
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Knowledge
multidisciplinary
Outdoor activities
Plants, Edible
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Europe
Finland
North Karelia Finland
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Summary:Wild edible plants, particularly berries, are relevant nutritional elements in the Nordic countries. In contrast to decreasing global trends, approximately 60% of the Finnish population is actively involved in (berry) foraging. We conducted 67 interviews with Finns and Karelians living in Finnish Karelia to: (a) detect the use of wild edible plants, (b) compare those results with the published data about neighbouring Russian Karelians, and (c) document the sources of local plant knowledge. The results revealed three main findings. First, we observed a similarity in wild food plant knowledge among Karelians and Finns from Karelia. Second, we detected divergences in wild food plant knowledge among Karelians living on both sides of the Finnish–Russian border. Third, the sources of local plant knowledge include vertical transmission, acquisition through literary sources, acquisition from “green” nature shops promoting healthy lifestyles, childhood foraging activities performed during the famine period following WWII, and outdoor recreational activities. We argue that the last two types of activities in particular may have influenced knowledge and connectedness with the surrounding environment and its resources at a stage of life that is crucial for shaping adult environmental behaviours. Future research should address the role of outdoor activities in maintaining (and possibly enhancing) local ecological knowledge in the Nordic countries.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-35918-7