Using traditional ecological knowledge in discovery of rare plants: a case study from Turkey

Sustainable (and adaptive) management of natural resources is usually based on long term local experiences with nature. Local traditional communities often possess rich ecological knowledge connected to nature and traditional resource use and management. This knowledge can provide unexpected new information for researchers, and show new opportunities and ways for professionals in conserving rare and threatened species. We found significant new populations of the rare Ophrys lesbis in a private area next to the settlement of Camlik, Mugla, and Orchis punctulata in the graveyard of Kadilar, Antalya with the help of local rural people. We firstly report the replanting of some orchid species (Orchis papilionacea, O. italica, and Barlia robertiana) in kitchen gardens of Camlik and Bayir, in Mugla Province. The presence of significant orchid populations (e.g., the biggest ever found for Ophrys lesbis) in an area, where local owners have been actively harvesting salep from year to year for decades suggests that the moderate salep harvesting can be sustainable for long run. Based on our observations, Turkish salep harvesters can help botanists and conservationists find new locations of rare threatened orchid populations, and therefore indirectly help in conserve these populations.