What is Ethnobiology?

What is Ethnobiology?

Ethnobiology is the scientific study of dynamic relationships among peoples, biota, and environments. As a multidisciplinary field, ethnobiology integrates archaeology, geography, systematics, population biology, ecology, mathematical biology, cultural anthropology, ethnography, pharmacology, nutrition, conservation, and sustainable development.  The diversity of perspectives in ethnobiology is our greatest strength.  It allows us to examine complex, dynamic interactions between human and natural systems, and enhances our intellectual merit and broader impacts.

What are the research objectives of ethnobiology?

In the past, many ethnobiologists concentrated on cataloging long lists of plants and animals with their associated preparations and uses. More recently our research objectives have become more process-oriented. For example, we now study how species are domesticated and the origins and development of agriculture;  the management of useful plant and animal populations;  and process of traditional knowledge acquisition and organization.

What are the central priorities and concerns of ethnobiology? 

Ethnobiology is a rapidly growing field of research, gaining professional, student, and public interest within North America and internationally. There is a need in Ethnobiology to explore modern methodology appropriate for studying people-biota-environment interactions; to quantitatively analyze our multidisciplinary data based on hypotheses; to integrate diverse lines of evidence for documenting ethnobiological knowledge and practices; to develop interdisciplinary education programs to train students and practitioners of Ethnobiology; and to obtain academic funding sources.

What kinds of methods do ethnobiologists use?

Methodologies in Ethnobiology are varied and depend on the area of study. Participant observation and informant query are often coupled with techniques and data from archaeology, molecular, population, autecological, community, and ecosystem biology. Indigenous people are becoming increasingly empowered within Ethnobiology to define research, development, and conservation priorities and to participate in the research and education efforts associated with Ethnobiology.

Notable organizations involved in the field of Ethnobiology include:

International Society of Ethnobiology 

an Alliance for Biocultural Diversity

Mission

The International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) works to understand and strengthen relationships between human societies and the natural world, and to promote biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity. In particular, we support the vital role of indigenous, local, and traditional peoples in protecting their ecosystems and knowledge base, and we provide platforms for discussion among these groups and other people involved in the stewardship of resources.

Central to our mission is creating a space for dialogue, cooperation, and action across diverse languages, cultures, and worldviews. The ISE strives to channel this work into sound research methods, policies, resource use, and decision-making.

Inspiration

Global changes are currently transforming our ecosystems and disrupting human relations with the natural world. For instance, indigenous societies around the world already face the loss of traditional activities (hunting, fishing, and harvesting) and agricultural practices due to altered weather patterns, loss of lands, disruptions to customary ways of transmitting cultural knowledge, changing markets, and a host of other factors.

Yet those ecosystems—the intricate relationships among species, land, water, and air—as well as the traditional, place-based knowledge of ecosystems shared across many generations, may hold some of the answers necessary to address and mitigate global threats.

Because healthy ecosystems and biocultural knowledge hold intrinsic value in and of themselves, the ISE works to maintain the dynamic ties between traditional, local, and indigenous peoples and their lands, knowledge and resources. The ISE seeks to take an active role and support initiatives in conserving both biological and cultural diversity.

Further, the ISE believes that sustainable, appropriate solutions to global problems can only arise through collaboration among people of diverse cultures and worldviews. The Society therefore works to engage people and community groups who have wide ranging expertise and experience in effective dialogue and action.

Society of Ethnobiology

The Society of Ethnobiology is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the relationships of plants and animals with human cultures worldwide, including past and present relationships between peoples and the environment. Our interests encompass ethnobotany, ethnozoology, linguistics, paleoethnobotany, zooarchaeology, ethnoecology, and other related areas in anthropology and biology. We are committed to scholarly research and to inclusive relationships with communities with whom we work and with colleagues around the world.