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Liwayway,
an Amba Aeta woman,
examining the sap of a
medicinal tree at the
Pamulaklakin Stream
Resort, Subic Bay,
Philippines.
©Gary J. Martin |
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Frequently
Asked Questions
about
Ethnobotany, Conservation and
Development
Ever
since People and Plants began
over six years ago, we have
received many requests from
aspiring ethnobotanists about
where to find information on
career opportunities, academic
courses and degrees in
ethnobotany, ways to gain field
experience, and many other
subjects. Although inspired by
this interest in our field, we
have found it challenging to
answer so many enquires
individually. In response, we
created the People and Plants
Handbook in 1996 to provide
information on applied
ethnobotany to a broad range of
colleagues.With the launching of
People and Plants Online in 1998,
we hope to address these needs in
an even more dynamic way, linking
our web site to hundreds of
others, opening the door to the
many resources about ethnobotany,
conservation and development
available on the Internet.
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The following
questions summarize some of the
requests we have received from
colleagues from around the world.
After each enquiry, we provide a
short response and direct you to
other pages of People and Plants
Online and to other websites that
can provide detailed answers. If
you still have a burning question
after viewing the following
information and consulting the
People and Plants Handbook, drop
a line to the People and Plants
Online web manager. We will do
our best to satisfy your
curiosity. If you find our answer
incomplete, please send us
additional information that we
can post on the FAQ page.
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Which
universities offer undergraduate and
graduate studies in ethnobotany?
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In recent years, there
has been an increase in the
number of ethnobotany courses
offered not only in the
United States, but also
around the world. Trish
Flaster has complied a list
of universities –
especially in the United
States and United Kingdom
– that offer
undergraduate courses,
master’s degrees and
Ph.D. programs. Although
there has been some
discussion about putting the
list on the Society for
Economic Botany Website, for
the time being you may access
it only by becoming a member
of SEB. If you are interested
in ethnobotany, you should
join SEB – it is easy,
inexpensive and will keep you
up-to-date on progress in
ethnobotanical methodology,
research and teaching. |
One of the newest
degree programs is a M.Sc. in
Ethnobotany at the University of Kent
at Canterbury, which is offered for
the first time in October 1998. If
you know of other universities that
advertise their offerings in
ethnobotany on the Web, please send a
note to the Website manager with the
full URL. We will create a link to
these institutions from the People
and Plants Online FAQ page.
Websites:
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How
can I gain field experience to complement
my academic studies?
Although the People and Plant
Initiative does not act as an
intermediary for young colleagues who
wish to gain field experience, there
are many institutions throughout the
world that are willing to take on
qualified volunteers for short-term
research projects. Some larger
research programs may even have funds
to support students to work with
experienced researchers in the
field.
We suggest that you identify the
region where you wish to work, and
consult the various issues of the
People and Plants Handbook for
organizations that support
ethnobotanical research there.
Prepare a one-page curriculum vita
and a summary proposal of what you
are interested in doing. Be sure to
indicate what amount of personal or
research funds that you are able to
commit. It pays to start contacting
people well before you wish to leave,
because many organizations have work
plans that are finalized months or
years in advance.
If you do have your own funds, you
may wish to contact outfits such as
Earthwatch Expeditions and University
Research Expeditions Program, which
arrange field experiences for adults
of all ages who wish to support
ongoing research with both funds and
volunteer service.
Earthwatch is an international
nonprofit organization that supports
scientific field research worldwide.
It offers its members the opportunity
to work side by side with
distinguished field scientists in
seven focused areas of sponsored
research: World Oceans; World
Forests; Biodiversity; Cultural
Diversity; Learning from the Past;
Monitoring Global Change; and World
Health. In 1997, the organization
sponsored 140 projects in 51
countries and 21 states in the United
States. Projects are divided into
roughly one to three-week-long terms
to enable members of the public to
participate, with successive teams
over the research duration. Since its
founding in 1972, Earthwatch has
mobilized over 2,083 projects in 118
countries and 36 states. More than
50,000 volunteers have contributed
over $34 million and 5,635,300 hours
of field research.
The University Research
Expeditions Program (UREP) was
established on the University of
California, Berkeley campus to help
provide funds for field research in
the natural and social sciences while
simultaneously offering students,
staff, and members of the general
public the opportunity of joining
domestic and foreign field research
projects sponsored by the University.
Participants become short-term
members of a field research team and
assist in wildlife habitat studies,
botanical collecting expeditions,
ethnographic field work, ecological
surveys, fossil excavations,
historical studies and other types of
field research. No previous academic
or field experience is necessary to
participate; instruction in field
techniques is provided after
participants arrive at their research
site. Participants are selected for
their interests, skills, experience,
and willingness to work and learn. A
tax-deductible donation to the
University is required to help
subsidize the research costs of the
projects. Partial scholarships are
available to students. Past UREP
projects have included animal
behavior observations in Kenya,
Argentina, and Australia;
archaeological excavations in Italy,
China, California, and Latin America;
a museum collecting expedition to the
Rendille, research on a nomadic tribe
in Northern Kenya; an anthropological
study of Carnival in Brazil;
preparation of an archaeological map
of the Valley of the Kings, Egypt;
marine studies in Hawaii, Jamaica,
Mexico, and Fiji; and ecological
studies in Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Mexico, Kenya, New Caledonia, and
Surinam.
Please let the People and Plants
Online Website manager know of any
other organizations that sponsor
field research by arranging for the
participation of volunteers who are
willing to cover their own expenses,
while contributing to research.
In time, you may wish to consult
the “positions offered”
section of the People and Plants
Online notice board to see if there
are any advertisements of short term
research opportunities. In addition,
feel free to post your request to
take part in field research in the
“positions requested”
section. We hope that the notice
board will become the host for a
dynamic exchange between
ethnobotanists around the
world.
If you are in a degree program,
you will have many opportunities to
gain field experience while you carry
out your studies. For example, the
Organization for Tropical Studies is
a program founded over thirty years
ago to provide a graduate education
that is creative and scientifically
sound. The organization is committed
to making training in tropical
biology part of the experience of all
professional biologists. OTS has
added courses in Spanish and
Portuguese for Latin Americans, in
conservation biology for students
interested in applied issues, in
environmental policy for
decisionmakers, and in natural
history for elderhostel groups and
the general public. More recently, an
undergraduate semester abroad program
in tropical biology and Spanish
language and culture attracts
students from small liberal arts
colleges and major universities
throughout the United States.
Even if you are not enrolled at a
university, don’t rule out the
possibility of taking a field course
related to ethnobotany. You will
eventually find various options
listed under “Field
Courses” on the People and
Plants Online notice board.
Websites:
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If
I do pursue an undergraduate,
master’s or doctoral degree in
ethnobotany, am I likely to find a
position in ethnobotany?
It is rare to find job
announcements that specifically
request an ethnobotanist, but it does
happen from time to time. These
positions are typically advertised in
specialized journals, such as those
discussed below. Ethnobotanists often
find themselves applying for work as
botanists, anthropologists, linguists
and ecologists in posts and projects
that have a focus on the
relationships between people, plants
and animals. Check the People and
Plants Online board, under
“positions offered” for
details of specific opportunities
that have come to our
attention.
The European Tropical Forest
Research Network (ETFRN) advertises
job openings in its newsletter, which
is available online. ETFRN aims to
contribute to the international
efforts towards wise, sustainable
management and protection of
subtropical and tropical forests and
woodlands. For this purpose, ETFRN
creates different fora for
information exchange and discussions;
the network also gathers data and
publishes information on European
institutes and projects involved in
tropical and subtropical forest
research. ETFRN develops and
maintains contacts with other
regional networks and international
organizations involved in tropical
forest research, which makes it a
particularly good source of
information on work
opportunities.
Please let us know of other
organizations or publications that
offer information on job
opportunities in ethnobotany,
conservation and community
development.
Websites:
TOP
Which
scientific journals and publishing houses
focus on ethnobotany?
Among the journals that
ethnobotanists consult regularly are
Economic Botany, Journal of
Ethnobiology, Journal of
Ethnopharmacology, Human Ecology,
Conservation Biology and
others.
Some university presses in the
United States are known for their
excellent selection of titles on
plants and people, including the
University of Arizona Press (which
focuses scholarly books, including
many on the western United States),
Columbia University Press and the
University of Washington Press.
Because ethnobotany is a
multidisciplinary field, you will
find ethnobotanical contributions in
many other journals and in the
catalogs of numerous publishers.
Consult the Multimedia section of the
People and Plants Handbook for
sources that we have found
particularly useful.
What are the journals and
publisher’s catalogs that you
consult? Do you know of sources of
ethnobotanical books in languages
other than English? We look forward
to your suggestions.
Websites:
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Are
there foundations that have a special
interest in ethnobotany?
We know of no foundation that is
dedicated exclusively to supporting
work on the relationship between
plants and people. However, there are
many foundations that have supported
at least one ethnobotanical project
in recent years. Each issue of the
People and Plants Handbook lists
foundations that have shown a
particular tendency to fund projects
on traditional ecological knowledge,
resource management or biodiversity
conservation.
Although government foundations
have tended to shy away from funding
ethnobotany and other
interdisciplinary projects, this is
now beginning to change. The United
States National Science Foundation
(NSF), for instance, has supported
numerous ethnobiological research
programs. The NSF is an independent
U.S. government agency responsible
for promoting science and engineering
through programs that invest over
$3.3 billion per year in almost
20,000 research and education
projects in science and
engineering.
The John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation has a program on
ecosystem conservation that has
provided support for a large number a
projects on conservation and
community development, some of them
related to ethnobotany. The overall
purpose of the program is to help
conserve renewable natural resources
in selected ecosystems where
biodiversity is threatened and to
promote the sustainable use of those
resources.
The Foundation focuses its
ecosystems conservation work in a
small number of tropical
bio-geographic zones in Asia, Latin
America and Africa. These zones are
chosen for their richness of species
diversity, number of unique species,
and the level of threat within each
zone. In addition, the Foundation
supports ecosystem conservation work
in tropical areas of the United
States. Within the bio-geographic
zones, work in one or more of the
following three priority activities
is given special consideration: (1)
conservation science and training;
(2) environmental law and policy; and
(3) conservation and sustainable
economic development
Some organizations provide
information on sources of support for
projects in certain disciplines or
geographical areas. SIMBIOTA, for
example, is a volunteer organization
run by a group of graduate students
at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. SIMBIOTA's goal is
to assist Latin American and
Caribbean field biologists and
conservationists (professional,
amateur or student) in gaining funds
for their own projects in the
Neotropics. Founded in 1989, SIMBIOTA
is a catalyst for stronger
cooperation and support between
biologists and conservationists in
the Americas. It can provide a List
of Potential Funding Sources (in
English or Spanish) and give advice
on draft proposals.
Other organizations provide
support in forms other than grants
and fellowships. The British Airways
Assisting Conservation (BAAC)
programme, for example, provides free
travel on British Airways routes for
qualified people working on
conservation projects.
Websites:
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Where
can I find videos that focus on issues
such as ethnobotany, biodiversity
conservation, cultural continuity,
resource management and community
development?
Thanks to the efforts of Tony
Cunningham, the WWF People and Plants
coordinator for Africa, the People
and Plants Initiative offers videos
on woodcarving in Kenya and
community-based resource management
around Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in
Uganda. In the future, we hope to
produce additional titles. Check
“videos” on our Resources
page for details.
For our training courses and
workshops, we have tapped into the
vast video resources of two excellent
organizations, one in the United
States and the other in the United
Kingdom. These organizations not only
distribute videos, but also encourage
the efforts of video producers who
focus on environmental and social
issues.
In the United States, The Video
Project – founded in 1983 –
has programs for all ages, including
Oscar and Emmy award-winners from
over 270 independent filmmakers
worldwide. It is the exclusive or
primary distributor for most of the
programs in its collection. In
addition, it is the distributor for
the productions of United States
national environmental organizations
such as the National Wildlife
Federation, Marine Mammal Fund,
League of Women Voters, Union of
Concerned Scientist and Zero
Population Growth, among others. It
distributes over 10,000 programs
every year to a diverse and growing
network that includes thousands of
schools, colleges, community groups,
public libraries, churches,
businesses, government agencies and
individuals.
Based in the UK but with a strong
global focus, the Television Trust
for the Environment (TVE) is an
independent, non-profit organization
whose mission is to act as a catalyst
for the production and distribution
of films on environment, development,
health and human rights issues. TVE's
goal is to use broadcast television
and other audio-visual resources to
raise environmental awareness
worldwide. Since TVE's launch in
1984, billions of people around the
world have watched its programs,
contributing to a better
understanding of the complex links
between major issues like resource
depletion, social inequality,
poverty, health and environmental
degradation.
Websites:
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