In tropical regions of Southern Java, semi-natural landscapes host plants that people collect and use. However, their utilisation patterns remain poorly understood. This study examines how unmanaged plants collected from semi-natural landscapes contribute to the livelihoods of low-income households in southern Java, Indonesia. We examine which plants are collected, how they support livelihoods, and how the use varies across space and season. We interviewed 237 households and identified 78 plants that were collected and used across five livelihood categories: income, food, fodder, medicinal sources, and cultural uses. Collection for personal consumption was the most common, followed by income and fodder. Alien plants such as Carica spp., Musa spp. , and Curcuma spp. were reported to be key to livelihood resources, particularly for food and income. The prevalence of alien plant collections highlights their significance as livelihood resources, suggesting for sustainable management to maintain these benefits in semi-natural landscapes. Twenty-eight species had single uses, while the remaining were collected for multiple purposes. The collection patterns showed little differentiation across income groups, household composition, seasons, and spatial patterns. These findings indicate that unmanaged plants are part of everyday livelihood support, rather than being used by particular groups or in specific seasons. Despite those similarities, clustering indicates that nearby households shared similar access and practices. Overall, the findings show that semi-natural landscapes serve as livelihood contributions by providing reliable and low-cost plant resources. Semi-natural landscapes, therefore, should be considered in land-use planning and policies that aim to support rural livelihoods and sustainable landscape management.
Aji et al. (Sun,) studied this question.