Database of Plant and Animal Uses and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Tropical Africa

主要从在非洲工作的日本研究人员那里获得了10,000多条热带非洲传统植物用途的记录，并将其输入到名为“Aflora”的数据库中。相关地区的民族植物学著作的文献也补充了数据。为了便于快速查阅和拼写检查，还将非洲植物区系植物学文献中出现的约2万个植物科、属和种的名称计算机化。与这些数据库一起出版的还有《热带非洲有用植物目录，第一部分，林区》，其中包括2400种具有本名和学名和使用模式的物种。在此数据库的基础上，对中部非洲不同人类群体的植物用途和命名进行了比较，以考察自然和文化环境对植物用途的影响。它阐明，即使在生活在相似植物区系环境中的群体中，植物的使用也存在着相当大的差异。植物利用的文化多样性在热带雨林区尤为显著，那里的可用植物种类繁多，非洲人民丰富的植物利用知识和洞察力最为引人注目。尽管严重依赖森林资源，但它们并没有对环境造成不利影响。这种人与自然共存的系统对自然保护和文化保护的影响应该得到充分的认识。

More than 10,000 records of traditional plant uses in tropical Africa have been obtained mainly from the Japanese researchers working in Africa, and put into the database called "Aflora". Data have been also supplemented from the literature on the ethnobotanical works in the related regions. In order to facilitate quick reference and spell-checking, about 20,000 names of plant families, genera and species, which appeared in botanical literatures on African flora, have also been computerized.Along with these works of database, published was "A Catalog of Useful Plants in Tropical Africa, Part 1, Forest Areas" which includes a total of 2,400 species with both vernacular and scientific names and usetypes. Based also on this database, a comparison was made on the plant use and nomenclature among different human groups in central Africa in order to examine the influences of natural and cultural environments onthe plant uses. It elucidated that, even among the groups living in a similar floristic environment, a considerable difference exists in the plant use. The cultural diversity in plant use is particularly striking in the tropical rain forest areas where there is a great diveristy of available plant species.The rich knowledge and divesity of plant use of the African peoples are most striking. In spite of heavy dependence on forest resources, they have not imposed adverse influences on their environment. The implications of such a co-existent system of man and nature for nature conservation and culture preservation should be fully appreciated.