A Biocultural Study on Gaoligongshan Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus), an Important Hog Landrace, in Nujiang Prefecture of China

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The biocultural diversity associated with Gaoligongshan pigs was investigated in the present paper. Six villages in Laowo Township of Lushui City in the Nujiang River watershed, where the Gaoligongshan pigs are primarily raised, were selected to collect information and data related to biocultural diversity. Participatory surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to document the semi-wild and free-ranging management pattern of Gaoligongshan pigs. The wild, cultivated, and medicinal plants used in rearing pigs were documented in terms of local knowledge. Most wild forage species are from Polygonaceae and Compositae while Poaceae dominated in cultivated forage plants. The local Bai and Lisu ethnic minorities have accumulated a wealth of biocultural knowledge related to diet, medicine, festivals, and rituals during their long-term rearing activities, and forming a cultural complex about Gaoligongshan pigs. This study demonstrated that the semi-wild and free-ranging management model of the Gaoligongshan pig is consistent with the local natural environment, traditional culture, economic level, and the breed’s characteristics. ABSTRACT: Over 80% proteins consumed by the local people in Nujiang Prefecture of Southwest China, a remote and mountainous area in the Eastern Himalayas, are from pork, or Gaoligongshan pig (a landrace of Sus scrofa domestica Brisson). Previous research on the Gaoligongshan pig has focused on nutritional composition, production performance, and genetic resource characteristics, but neglected the reasons behind the local people’s practice. From 2019 to 2022, we have used ethnobiological research methods to comprehensively document the traditional rearing and management patterns and the traditional culture associated with Gaoligongshan pigs. The results show that Gaoligongshan pigs graze in mixed herds with cattle and sheep during the day and prefer to eat 23 wild plant species, in which 17 species have medicinal values. At night, the pigs are artificially fed and rest in the pigsty. The local Bai and Lisu people have developed a creative food culture, rituals, and festivals culture associated with Gaoligongshan pigs. Overall, the biocultural diversity of Gaoligongshan pig contributes to the in situ conservation of genetic diversity of this important hog landrace, and supports rural development in this remote area.