The most comprehensive collection of papers in the field to date, this volume presents state-of-the-art research and commentary from more than fifty of the world's leading ethnobiologists. Covering a wide range of ecosystems and world regions, the papers center on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity, and cultural diversity. Specific themes include the acquisition, persistence, and loss of traditional ecological knowledge; intellectual property rights and benefits sharing; ethnobiological classification; medical ethnobotany; ethnoentomology; ethnobiology and natural resource management; homegardens; and agriculture and traditional knowledge. The volume will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, ecology, and related fields and also to professionals in conservation and indigenous rights organizations.

"The field of ethnobotany (and more generally ethnobiology) traces its roots to two distinct research traditions: a long standing interest in how human societies around the world make use of plants (and animals) in their local environments; and a more recent (mid-1950's onward) interest in how humans perceive, classify, and name the natural world. Ethnobotany and Conservation of Biocultural Diversity is based in part on a symposium by the same title held at the Sixteenth International Botanical Congress in Saint Louis, Missouri, August 1-7, 1999. This volume showcases recent ethnobotanical research conducted by members of a new generation of ethnobiologists, including case studies from the tropical environments of the Amazon Basin, Africa, and Asia. Part 1 focuses on the contributions of traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable use of traditional plant resources. Part 3 deals with ethical issues in ethnobiology."--

"The book centers on a call to define/redefine the field of ethnobiology and the need for doing so. It points a major way forward for ethnobiology: toward engagement with people and communities that are saving ecosystems and lifestyles through reviving traditional agricultural items and techniques, and integrating them into the contemporary world"--Provided by publisher.

Biodiversity loss is a well-known phenomenon. Over the next thirty years, according to most projections, 20 percent of the world's species may cease to exist. Less widely known, though attracting increasing attention, is the diversity loss that is affecting the world's languages and cultures. Up to 11 percent of an estimated 6,000 spoken languages in the world today are "nearly extinct", and as many as 90 percent of those languages may vanish during the course of this century. On Biocultural Diversity brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars from the social and natural sciences as well as cultural advocates, human rights specialists, and indigenous experts to discuss the ways in which the losses of biological, linguistic, and cultural diversity are linked. Combining research with advocacy, this book outlines the threats to the world's diversity, explores the connections among its various forms, and recommends measures to help preserve and perpetuate the variety of life on Earth. Presenting case studies from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, the contributors show how the loss of linguistic and cultural diversity -- often involving indigenous peoples' removal from their lands, suppression of their languages, and the loss of traditional environmental knowledge based on subsistence practices -- can affect biodiversity. The final chapters suggest new directions for research, documentation, training, and action in order to conserve biocultural diversity. This collection reveals a broad picture of why diversity matters. It offers a common foundation and practical avenues for preserving the wealth of biological life as well as the cultural riches represented byindigenous and minority languages and the knowledge they embody.

Ethnobiology holds a special place in the hearts and minds of many because of its dedication to celebrating the knowledge and values of some of the most distinctive cultural practices in some of the most distinctive places on Earth. Yet we live in a world of diminishing natural and linguistic diversity. Whether due to climate change or capitalism, homogeneity is trumping the once-resplendent heterogeneity all around us. In this important new collection, Gary Paul Nabhan puts forth a call for the future not only of ethnobiology but for the entire planet. He articulates and broadens the portfolio of ethnobiological principles and amplifies the tool kit for anyone engaged in the ethnobiosphere, those vital spaces of intense interaction among cultures, habitats, and creatures. The essays are grouped into a trio of themes. The first group presents the big questions facing humanity, the second profiles tools and methodologies that may help to answer those questions, and the third ponders how to best communicate these issues not merely to other scholars, but to society at large. The essays attest to the ways humans establish and circumscribe their identities not only through their thoughts and actions, but also with their physical, emotional, and spiritual attachments to place, flora, fauna, fungi, and feasts. Nabhan and his colleagues from across disciplines and cultures encourage us to be courageous enough to include ethical, moral, and even spiritual dimensions in work regarding the fate of biocultural diversity. The essays serve as cairns on the critical path toward an ethnobiology that is provocative, problem-driven, and, above all, inspiring.

This open access book demonstrates the linkages between local languages, traditional knowledge, and biodiversity at the landscape level in Asia, providing a fresh approach to discussions on Asia’s biocultural diversity. The book carries forward earlier analyses but importantly focuses on ‘traditional ecological calendars,’ ‘folk medicine,’ and ‘folk names’ in the context of the vital importance of maintaining biological, cultural, and linguistic diversity. It does this by addressing a range of cases and issues in relation to Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and North-East India. The several chapters demonstrate the ways in which the various forms of knowledge of the environment and its categorizations are important in areas such as landscape and resource management and conservation. They also demonstrate that environmental knowledge and the practical skills which accompany it are not necessarily widely shared. This book sends important messages to those who care about the sustainability of our environment, the maintenance of its biocultural diversity, or at least the maintenance of what remains of it because much has changed. This interdisciplinary collection draws from a wide range of disciplines and is of appeal to students and scholars in anthropology, environmental studies, geography, biodiversity, and linguistics.