An ethnobotanical study of the knowledge on use and management of medicinal plants by localrnpeople in Debark Wereda, North Gondar (Ethiopia), was conducted from October 2010 to Mayrn2011. Semi-structured interviews, field observations and various ranking and comparisonrnmethods were employed and information was collected from a sample of 84 informants (36rnfemales and 48 males). These included 24 key and 60 randomly selected informants. A total ofrn126 plant species, representing 114 genera and 57 families, were collected, and 122 of themrnwere claimed to be traditional medicinal plants. The Asteraceae, which contributed 12 (9.52%)rnspecies, stood first followed by Fabaceae, Solanaceae and Euphorbiaceae with 11, 9 and 7rnspecies respectively Most of the species (72) were collected from the wild while 50 wererncollected from homegardens. A total of 88 (76.03%) species were mentioned for the treatment ofrn62 human ailments while 10 species were used to treat 20 livestock health problems. Herbs werernthe most used plants, accounting for 60 (49.58%) species, followed by shrubs, trees andrnclimbers. The most frequently used plant part was the leaves (50.27%) and fresh plant materialsrn(54.39%). The common route medicine administration were oral (45.99%), followed by dermalrnand nasal. Some of the remedies are taken with additives and solvents including water (33.76),rnbutter (16.88%) and honey (15.58%). The most widely used method of preparation wasrnsqueezing (33.33%) of the different plant parts followed by crushing (25%). The most commonlyrnused application of medicinal plant was drinking (31.22%) followed by creamed (19.45%) andrndropping (12.21%). Medicinal plants with higher informant consensus included Zehneriarnscabra, Verbascum sinaiticum and Rumex nepalensis while the disease category with the highestrnICF value (0.870) was fibril illness. There was high preference for Plantogo lanceolata forrntreating wound while paired comparison showed Zehneria scabra to be the most preferredrnspecies for treatment of fibril illness by traditional healers. Cordia africana was shown to be therntop multipurpose species while agricultural expansion, firewood collection and charcoal makingrnwere considered major threats to plants in general and medicinal plants in particular.rnProvisions for participation of the local people, awareness raising and establishment ofrnprotected forests need encouraging.rnKey words: Ethnobotany, Debark, traditional healers, traditional medicinal plant