Land Snail Ethnomalacology and Medicinal Use in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

In Indonesia, rural communities have been using wild animals in traditional medicines based on local knowledge ( corpus /cognitive) and cosmos /belief since ancient times. The use is increasingly being replaced by modern medicines in cities. Local knowledge is also experiencing erosion. This research analyzes the Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of rural people of Gunungkelir, Yogyakarta, on the diversity, folk classification, and utilization of land snails for various traditional medicines, and TEK of land snails in rural groups. Mixed methods, qualitative and quantitative approaches, with an ethnozoological approach, were used. Some field data, including observations, semistructured interviews, and structured interviews, were collected in this study. The results showed that, based on TEK, there are forty-two vernacular names of land snails. However, scientifically, four species have been identified and one is unidentified. The Gunungkelir people well recognize different land snails. Land snails are popularly used for wound healing (81%–97%). The use value indices were 0.98 for Lissachatina fulica and 0.81 for Amphidromus palaceus . Adults and elderly people have greater knowledge and expertise than children and teenagers. Moreover, there is also different knowledge among occupations. However, the knowledge is shared between genders and people of different educational backgrounds. The Gunungkelir people still have a rich local knowledge of land snails. Our ethnozoological data enrich biodiversity data, document the cultural value of regional biodiversity, and open bioprospecting opportunities for medicine.