Vernacular Taxonomy, Cultural and Ethnopharmacological Applications of Avian and Mammalian Species in the Vicinity of Ayubia National Park, Himalayan Region

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Birds and mammals are strongly embedded in anthropological culture around the world. This study article discusses the cultural and therapeutic value of avian and mammalian species in the Ayubia National Park, KPK, Pakistan. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative study of the cultural utilization of avian and mammalian species in the studied region. This study’s ethno-biological findings indicate that the huge diversity of avian and mammalian species plays an essential role in the culture and health of native communities. These findings might aid in the long-term utilization of avian and mammalian species in the local healthcare system. For the sustainable utilization of avian and mammalian species, conservation efforts should be conducted with the involvement of conservation authorities. ABSTRACT: Numerous investigations on plant ethnomedicinal applications have been conducted; however, knowledge about the medicinal use of wild animals is still limited. This present study is the second on the medicinal and cultural meaning of avian and mammalian species used by the population in the surrounding area of the Ayubia National Park, KPK, Pakistan. Interviews and meetings were compiled from the participants (N = 182) of the study area. The relative frequency of citation, fidelity level, relative popularity level, and rank order priority indices were applied to analyze the information. Overall, 137 species of wild avian and mammalian species were documented. Of these, 18 avian and 14 mammalian species were utilized to treat different diseases. The present research showed noteworthy ethno-ornithological and ethno-mammalogical knowledge of local people and their connection with fauna, which might be useful in the sustainable utilization of the biological diversity of the Ayubia National Park, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Furthermore, in vivo and/or in vitro examination of the pharmacological activities of species with the highest fidelity level (FL%) as well as frequency of mention (FM) might be important for investigations on faunal-based new drugs.