Ethnobiological survey and documentation of traditional knowledge from the coastal areas of Thrissur district, Kerala

Abstract

Ethnobiology is an interdisciplinary study of how human cultures interact with and use plants and animals to meet their livelihood needs since time immemorial. Presently due to changing of living habits, modernization, urbanization, mechanization of fishing and use of accessories made of synthetic materials, etc., the Traditional Knowledge (TK) practiced over generations are fast disappearing from the life of fisherfolk in the coastal areas of Kerala. The remaining traditional knowledge has to be documented before they are lost forever. The ethnobiological survey and documentation systematically carried out in the coastal areas of Thrissur district throws light on many hither to unknown aspects of life and living habits in the fast-changing coastal belt of Kerala.