Volume 6 | Issue -14
Volume 6 | Issue -14
Volume 6 | Issue -14
Volume 6 | Issue -14
Volume 6 | Issue -14
The Way Betung watershed is critical to the community's water supply, but their activities are causing erosion and degradation of the watershed's function. The role of the community is needed, indicated through plant utilization based on culture in preserving watershed functions. The purpose of the study was to identify the characteristics of respondents related to knowledge of various types of ethnobotany, analyze the correlation of respondents' characteristics with the Index Cultural Significance (ICS) and recommend efforts in preserving the Way Betung watershed, Lampung. The research was conducted through interviews with the community and field observations, and data was analyzed using ICS and correlation between November-December 2023. Based on the result showed that 66 types of plants are utilized, with coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) being the most utilized (the value was 112), followed by Sambiloto (Andrographis paniculata Ness) at 60 and Rubber Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) and Berenuk (Crescentia cujete L.) at 4. The community's knowledge based on ICS indicates that people prioritize their benefits over ecological functions in preserving watershed functions. Ethnic diversity was found to have the highest correlation value with ICS, indicating the need for sustainable preservation of various cultures from different ethnicities in the research location.