Traditional knowledge promotes the protection of large old trees: A case from China's richest biocultural diversity area

Abstract Large old trees are important ecological entities in human settlements, providing cultural values and ecological services that are threatened by current and future changes in global climate, land use and disturbance regimes. Some studies suggest incorporating social and cultural significance into the conservation of large old trees. However, research on the biological and cultural conservation mechanisms of these trees is limited. It is urgent to explore how to combine both biological and cultural aspects for the protection of large old trees and to provide a feasible reference framework for their management and conservation in other regions. The ethnobotanical methods such as free enumerations, semi‐structured interviews and participatory surveys have been used to collect traditional knowledge associated with large old trees in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture. Four environmental variables and three response variables were quantified to make generalized additive analysis. A total of 75 large old tree species were recorded, along with their traditional knowledge. Most species are native plants, predominantly from the Fagaceae, Moraceae, Fabaceae, Juglandaceae and Pinaceae. Local people possess extensive traditional knowledge about large old trees. 95% of these trees have value in terms of edibility, medicinal properties, timber, ornamental and cultural significance, playing an important role in the lives of local people. Townships located at low elevation and with higher population density are associated with a higher tree density. The proportion of cultural trees decreases with an increase in the proportion of the Han population. Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture has a variety of large old trees, and local people possess rich traditional knowledge associated with them. Traditional knowledge and local ethnic culture play an important role in the protection (such as taboos, Cunguiminyue practices and customary laws) in the conservation efforts for large old trees. Our study enriches the culture‐ecology co‐conservation paradigm, providing localized solutions as references for sustainable ancient tree management across diverse geographical contexts. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.