Ruderal flora as ethnoecological capital for urban conservation policy in Kupang City, Indonesia

Abstract. Gaol ML, Dewi IAL, Mudita IW. 2025. Ruderal flora as ethnoecological capital for urban conservation policy in Kupang City, Indonesia. Asian J Ethnobiol 8: 390-401. Accelerating urbanization in tropical cities like Kupang, Indonesia, disrupts green spaces and reshapes spontaneous herbaceous plant communities, which are vital for urban biodiversity. To assess these impacts, field surveys compared flora across urban and peri-urban gradients, revealing 91 species with significantly higher richness and diversity in peri-urban areas. Invasive species dominated the urban core flora, indicating biotic homogenization, while sensitive flora were found mainly in the peri-urban. Crucially, this herbaceous vegetation holds immense socio-ecological value, with 94.51% of species having medicinal uses, and peri-urban corridors supporting multifunctional species that provide material and environmental services. Policy analysis, nevertheless, indicated that current urban planning overlooked these ruderal corridors and lacks specific diversity metrics. This study establishes that peri-urban ruderal flora constitutes a significant form of ethnoecological capital, highlighting its critical importance as a reservoir of both biodiversity and ethnobotanical knowledge. By linking ecological gradients with policy analysis, this study emphasizes the urgency of safeguarding spontaneous vegetation within rapidly transforming urban landscapes. The findings provide a scientific basis for re-evaluating urban conservation strategies to incorporate these socio-ecological values into resilience planning for tropical secondary cities.