The Mahadev Koli tribe, an indigenous forest-dwelling community from Maharashtra's North Western Ghats, remains largely absent from mainstream environmental discussions. However, a new study highlights the tribe’s rich reservoir of medicinal and ecological knowledge, expertise that could be vital in strengthening global climate resilience. Conducted by the Watershed Organisation Trust – Centre for Resilience Studies in Pune, the study emphasises that the Mahadev Kolis inhabit one of the world’s top eight biodiversity hotspots, yet their local ecological knowledge (LEK), particularly regarding medicinal trees, remains largely undocumented in scientific literature. Dr Y D Imran Khan of the Centre for Resilience Studies points out that this underrepresentation in environmental discourse is especially true for the Mahadev Kolis of Akole block in Ahmednagar district. These communities possess the ability to detect subtle ecological changes through their observations of the forest—an invaluable skill in the context of climate change. “This deserves urgent attention in climate policy discussions,” Khan said. The study, titled 'Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Current Climate Crisis', has been featured in global publisher Springer’s book Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Against Climate Change in Natural Systems. The study's authors include Saurabh Purohit and Omkar Hande, who, said that for generations they have treated illnesses using 51 native tree species—offering remedies for fevers, dysentery, coughs, joint pain, skin infections, and even snake bites. They said their research frames traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) not as folklore but as a scientifically valuable, adaptive strategy to deal with the local manifestations of climate change. Through detailed interviews with traditional healers, the study captures how climate variability is already altering plant cycles and availability — offering a real-time, place-based climate dataset that is completely absent from conventional monitoring systems. According to the study, the Mahadev Koli tribe uses 51 tree species across 41 genera and 25 families for medicinal purposes. Tree bark was the most used part (24.8 per cent), followed by leaves (23.1 per cent) and fruits (20.5 per cent). Fabaceae and Moraceae are the most dominant medicinal tree families in their ecosystem. The tribe's TEK spans plant taxonomy, land-use patterns, climate prediction, and healing systems. The study also advocates for ethical collaborations between indigenous communities and ecological researchers, urging mainstream science to recognise local taxonomies, seasonal calendars, and spiritual plant-based practices as serious scientific data — not “soft” knowledge.
