Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years

Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque¹, Alfred Maroyi², Ana H Ladio³, Andrea Pieroni^{4

5}, Arshad Mehmood Abbasi⁶, Bárbara Arias Toledo⁷, Farid Dahdouh-Guebas^{8

9

10

11}, Gustavo Hallwass¹², Gustavo Taboada Soldati¹³, Guillaume Odonne¹⁴, Ina Vandebroek^{15

16

17}, Joan Vallès^{18

19}, Julio Alberto Hurrell²⁰, Manuel Pardo de Santayana^{21

22}, María de Los Ángeles La Torre-Cuadros^{23

24}, María Teresa Pulido Silva²⁵, Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob²⁶, Viviane Stern da Fonseca-Kruel²⁷, Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior²⁸

Affiliations

¹ Centro de Biociências, Cidade Universitária, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. upa677@hotmail.com.
² Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa.
³ Grupo de Etnobiología, INIBIOMA (Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente, Universidad del Comahue- CONICET), Quintral 1250, S.C. de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.
⁴ University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042, Pollenzo, Cuneo, Italy.
⁵ Department of Medical Analysis, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan, 44001, Iraq.
⁶ Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan.
⁷ Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV-CONICET-UNC), Edificio de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina.
⁸ Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Department of Organism Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Brussels, Belgium.
⁹ Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁰ Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG), Species Survival Commission (SSC), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
¹¹ Interfaculty Institute of Social-Ecological Transitions, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Brussels, Belgium.
¹² Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Instituto de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, São Sebastião do Paraíso, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
¹³ Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
¹⁴ Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions Des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), CNRS-Université de Guyane-IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana.
¹⁵ Department of Life Sciences and Natural Products Institute, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the West Indies Mona, Mona, Jamaica.
¹⁶ Institute of Economic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA.
¹⁷ The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁸ Laboratori de Botànica, Facultat de Farmàcia I Ciències de L'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
¹⁹ Institut d'Estudis Catalans, C. Carme 47, 08001, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
²⁰ Laboratorio de Etnobotánica y Botánica Aplicada (LEBA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Investigador CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
²¹ Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
²² Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
²³ Universidad Científica del Sur, Av. Panamericana Sur Km 19, Villa EL Salvador, 15067, Lima, Peru.
²⁴ Grupo Sistemas Socioecológicos y Servicios Ecosistémicos, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM), Av. La Universidad S/N Lima 12, Lima, Peru.
²⁵ Laboratorio de Etnobiología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Cd. Universitaria, Carr. Pachuca-Tulancingo, Km 4.5 S/N, CP 42184, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
²⁶ Laboratório Horta Comunitária Nutrir, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
²⁷ Jardim Botânico Do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisas, R. Pacheco Leão 915, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-030, Brazil.
²⁸ Universidade de Pernambuco, Campus Petrolina, BR 203, Km 2, S/N, Vila Eduardo, Petrolina, Brazil.

PMID: 38360640
PMCID: PMC10870687
DOI: 10.1186/s13002-024-00661-4

Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years

Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque et al. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024.

. 2024 Feb 15;20(1):18.

doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00661-4.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Centro de Biociências, Cidade Universitária, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. upa677@hotmail.com.
² Department of Botany, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice, 5700, South Africa.
³ Grupo de Etnobiología, INIBIOMA (Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medio Ambiente, Universidad del Comahue- CONICET), Quintral 1250, S.C. de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.
⁴ University of Gastronomic Sciences, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II 9, 12042, Pollenzo, Cuneo, Italy.
⁵ Department of Medical Analysis, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan, 44001, Iraq.
⁶ Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, 22060, Pakistan.
⁷ Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV-CONICET-UNC), Edificio de Investigaciones Biológicas y Tecnológicas, Ciudad Universitaria, Córdoba, Argentina.
⁸ Systems Ecology and Resource Management Research Unit (SERM), Department of Organism Biology, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Brussels, Belgium.
⁹ Ecology and Biodiversity, Laboratory of Plant Biology and Nature Management, Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, Brussels, Belgium.
¹⁰ Mangrove Specialist Group (MSG), Species Survival Commission (SSC), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Zoological Society of London, London, UK.
¹¹ Interfaculty Institute of Social-Ecological Transitions, Université Libre de Bruxelles - ULB, Brussels, Belgium.
¹² Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Instituto de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação, São Sebastião do Paraíso, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
¹³ Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
¹⁴ Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions Des Systèmes Amazoniens (LEEISA), CNRS-Université de Guyane-IFREMER, 97300, Cayenne, French Guiana.
¹⁵ Department of Life Sciences and Natural Products Institute, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the West Indies Mona, Mona, Jamaica.
¹⁶ Institute of Economic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY, USA.
¹⁷ The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
¹⁸ Laboratori de Botànica, Facultat de Farmàcia I Ciències de L'Alimentació, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII 27-31, 08028, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
¹⁹ Institut d'Estudis Catalans, C. Carme 47, 08001, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
²⁰ Laboratorio de Etnobotánica y Botánica Aplicada (LEBA), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Investigador CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
²¹ Departamento de Biología (Botánica), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/Darwin 2, Campus de Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain.
²² Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
²³ Universidad Científica del Sur, Av. Panamericana Sur Km 19, Villa EL Salvador, 15067, Lima, Peru.
²⁴ Grupo Sistemas Socioecológicos y Servicios Ecosistémicos, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (UNALM), Av. La Universidad S/N Lima 12, Lima, Peru.
²⁵ Laboratorio de Etnobiología, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Cd. Universitaria, Carr. Pachuca-Tulancingo, Km 4.5 S/N, CP 42184, Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.
²⁶ Laboratório Horta Comunitária Nutrir, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
²⁷ Jardim Botânico Do Rio de Janeiro, Diretoria de Pesquisas, R. Pacheco Leão 915, Rio de Janeiro, 22460-030, Brazil.
²⁸ Universidade de Pernambuco, Campus Petrolina, BR 203, Km 2, S/N, Vila Eduardo, Petrolina, Brazil.

PMID: 38360640
PMCID: PMC10870687
DOI: 10.1186/s13002-024-00661-4

Abstract

This opinion piece, written by ethnobiologists from different parts of the world, emphasizes the importance of ethnobiology research in advancing contemporary biology, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and, especially, contributing to the ecological transition and more just and inclusive world. To achieve these goals, it is essential to develop research and collaborate with social groups that live in close relationship with nature in research activities, such as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), as well as Afro-descendants and other Marginalized, Minority or Minoritized Communities (AMMC). Ethnobiology can identify and provide locally appropriate solutions to local problems, enabling sustainable resource management at the landscape level. The text explores important aspects that need to be considered to guide the future of ethnobiology in the next 20 years, aiming to integrate and amplify previous discussions held in the discipline and identify points that demand ongoing attention. This paper highlights reflections from diverse researchers, emphasizing how ethnobiology can embrace different perspectives and employ rigorous analysis of complex phenomena toward effective policies and practices. This approach holds the potential to address the challenges the planet is currently facing in the coming decades.

Keywords: Afro-descendant and other Marginalized, Minority, and Minoritized Communities (AMMC); Biocultural conservation; Biocultural diversity; Ethical dimensions; Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC); Political.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
A framework for taking action in social-ecological transition within ethnobiology with suggestions for inputs, expected outputs, and practical actions (i.e., how to do it). The framework is based on the foundation of categories of thinking required to successfully navigate the ecological transition toward sustainability

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Ladio AH. A new set of tools for ethnobiologist in the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethnobiol Conserv. 2020;9:29. doi: 10.15451/ec2020-07-9.29-1-8. - DOI
1. Reyes-García V, Fernández-Llamazares Á, McElwee P, Molnár Z, Öllerer K, Wilson SJ, et al. The contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ecological restoration. Restor Ecol. 2019;27(1):3–8. doi: 10.1111/rec.12894. - DOI
1. Pardo-de-Santayana M, Macía MJ. Biodiversity: the benefits of traditional knowledge. Nature. 2015;518:487–488. doi: 10.1038/518487a. - DOI - PubMed
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1. Younging G. Elements of indigenous style. Brush Education; 2018. ISBN 9781550597165

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Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years

Affiliations

Advancing ethnobiology for the ecological transition and a more inclusive and just world: a comprehensive framework for the next 20 years

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources