1. Ethnobotanical surveys
Roeland Kindt

2. Outline What is ethnobotany Rapid or in-depth surveys
Herbarium specimens
Selection of informants
Estimating the completeness of surveys
Local classification systems
Bioprospecting

3. What is ethnobotany interactions of people and plants
biological ethnobotany: economic botany (species, local names, uses)
anthropological ethnobotany: cultural context (holistic)

4. Rapid or in-depth surveys
Rapid: PRA, planning
In-depth: holistic, statistically sound
herbarium specimens
use
classification systems
environment, people and interactions
phonetic
bioprospecting
economic validation

5. Herbarium specimens Botanical identity
Fieldpress: frame, straps, newspaper, blotting paper, ventilators
Field notebook: label information, local identification (name, smell, taste, exudates, bark characterististics, charcoal, …)
Plant dryer?
Voucher: all parts (fertile), presentation (fill)
Duplicates for herbaria
Newspapers and time

6. Selection of informants
As for PRA: random (populations), targeted (specialists)
Avoid bias (season, location)
Local specialist user groups
living specimens (herbarium?)
context
permanent forest plots

7. Estimate completeness
Breath: categories surveyed/total
Depth: Σ (subcategories surveyed/total) / total
Replication: number of samples / total
floristic or ethnofloristic categories
stop when breath and depth remain the same, while replication is sufficient

9. Local classification systems
plant names
primary name (wattle)
secondary name (black wattle)
complex primary name (peppertree)
“I don’t know”, “flower”, “fruit”
under- or overdifferentiation
Local specialists
parallel classification systems (general vs. medicinal)

10. Bioprospection Potential But: 60 % top 150 prescription drugs
5-15 % of K plant spp. sampled
1 / 5-10 K molecules screened drug
But:
micro-organisms, marine, insects, animal and human genetics, bioinformatics
more focus on development of screens to use on molecular libraries

11. Bioprospection (2)
Ethnobotanical surveys more successful in detecting biological activity
but: screens not always available
IPR
but: only half of pharmaceutical companies use ethnobotanical info, and 80% only from literature searches, mainly after detection
Alternative: confirm activity of local medicine and provide feedback (domestication)

12. Ethnobotany and tree domestication
Uses and management
Priority setting
Local classification
Validation (market surveys)
Participatory approach to domestication (selection)

13. Local management of diversity