Traditional knowledge (TK) in Ladakh encapsulates a repository of experimental wisdom cultivated over millennia. Despite this cultural wealth, dwindling interest among the younger generations in the region’s age-old practices underscores the urgency to document TK. The current study investigates the diverse usage of plants in Surru, Wakha and Lower Indus valleys of Western Ladakh exploring the influence of socioeconomic and ecological factors. A stratified random sample approach was adopted to select 540 respondents for gathering information of useful plants through interviews and questionnaires. Participant observation, questionnaires, open-ended and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Free listing was done to create an extensive list of plants and their uses. Ethnobotanical metrics such as relative frequency of citation (RFC), relative importance index (RI), cultural value (CV) index and cultural importance (CI) index were computed to assess species applicability. Additionally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized to discern significant differences in knowledge levels based on valleys, gender, education and religion using TK as a response variable. Altogether, we recorded 246 plant species under various ethnobotanical uses from Western Ladakh. These include medicinal (126), fodder (124), wild ornamentals (86), food (81), fuel wood (54), dye (20), religious (31) and others (34). Novel plant reports include Berberis brandisiana Ahrendt and Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz. The dominant plant family is Asteraceae with 35 species. Suru valley exhibits the highest number of cited plants followed by Wakha-chu and Lower Indus valleys (192, 168 and 152 species, respectively). Disparities in plant use understanding are evident among different groups, prompting further investigation through intercultural comparisons. Plants such as Arnebia euchroma, Juniperus semiglobosa, and Artemisia species emerge with cultural importance. Gender, valley affiliation, religious background and the remoteness of a village all influence local plant knowledge. These variations are linked to socioeconomic disparities among communities.

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自然和谐：了解拉达克植物使用的文化和生态方面

拉达克的传统知识 (TK) 囊括了数千年来积累的实验智慧宝库。尽管拥有如此丰富的文化财富，但年轻一代对该地区古老习俗的兴趣日益减弱，凸显了记录传统知识的紧迫性。目前的研究调查了拉达克西部的苏鲁、瓦卡和印度河流域下游植物的多样化用途，探索社会经济和生态因素的影响。采用分层随机抽样的方法，选取540名受访者，通过访谈和问卷调查的方式收集有用植物的信息。通过参与者观察、问卷调查、开放式和半结构化访谈来收集数据。免费列出是为了创建植物及其用途的广泛列表。计算民族植物学指标，例如相对引用频率（RFC）、相对重要性指数（RI）、文化价值（CV）指数和文化重要性（CI）指数，以评估物种适用性。此外，使用传统知识作为响应变量，利用单向方差分析 (ANOVA) 来辨别基于山谷、性别、教育和宗教的知识水平的显着差异。我们总共记录了来自拉达克西部的 246 种具有不同民族植物学用途的植物物种。其中包括药用（126）、饲料（124）、野生观赏植物（86）、食物（81）、薪材（54）、染料（20）、宗教（31）和其他（34）。新植物报道包括小檗布兰迪西安娜阿伦特和Dactylorhiza kafiriana Renz。优势植物科为菊科，有35种。苏鲁河谷的引用植物数量最多，其次是瓦卡楚河谷和印度河下游河谷（分别为 192 种、168 种和 152 种）。不同群体对植物用途的理解存在明显差异，这促使通过跨文化比较进行进一步调查。紫草、半球杜松和蒿等植物的出现具有重要的文化意义。性别、山谷归属、宗教背景和村庄的偏远都会影响当地的植物知识。这些差异与社区之间的社会经济差异有关。