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What is ethnobotany?
Ethnobotany is the study of the biological diversity of the plant kingdom and how people of various cultures utilize plants.
Ethnobotanists record indigenous peoples knowledge of plants and apply scientific methods to determine how useful and accurate the information is.
They may identify and determine how to protect and sustainably harvest useful plants.
Their aim is to preserve both the plant species and the knowledge that native people have about them.
Ethnobotanists seek to preserve plant biodiversity for continued benefits to humanity. Biodiversity refers to the number of genes within a species (genetic diversity), the number of species within a region (species diversity), and the various types of living communities in an area (ecosystem diversity).
It can also include human cultural diversity the study of which can provide solutions to problems of survival in particular environments and demonstrate ways to better utilize species.
Ethnobotany is an important scientific discipline for many reasons. An abundance of plant species are vital to sustaining a high quality of human life due to thier use in medicine, fiber, food, wood, paper products, rubber, spices, cosmetics, brushes, animal feed, perfumes, beverages, landscape plantings, decoration and more. Plants also help preserve an ecological balance by producing oxygen, absorbing carbon dioxide, cleaning the air, providing the base for all food chains, protecting the soil from erosion, creating moisture in inland areas and acting as a buffer against climatic extremes.
Sometimes drug companies seek out the knowledge of the ethnobotanist so they can test promising plants for sources of new medicines.
Seed companies consult ethnobotanists to find new plant species or varieties that are more disease resistant, beautiful or have other desirable qualities.
Ethnobotany is also an important discipline because indigenous cultures have information about plants that is useful to the modern world. If ancient knowledge isn't recorded, it may become lost forever as young people abandon traditional practices in favor of "modern" lifestyles.
In one study which demonstrates the validity of indigenous knowledge of plants, researchers found that of the 119 most important plant-derived medical drugs used by modern doctors in the world, 74% of the plants used in the drugs are also used by native people in the same way or for a related use.
Aproximately 250,000 species of plants worldwide have been described, but the total number are unknown and many will become extinct before they can be catalogued.
Some scientists estimate that about 20,000 to 50,000 species are now becomming extinct each year.
We don't know how many of the species might potentially provide us with new sources of medicine, food and other useful products.
Species are disappearing faster than we can study them. Genetic diversity within a species is also being lost.
For example, over 6,000 varieties of apples once cultivated in the than we can study them. Genetic diversity within a species is also being lost. Diversity is necessary to enrich our lives and to help living things evolve under pressure. That is why it is helpful to use indigenous and/or elderly people to help us learn about important species and heirloom varieties that are in need of protection.