Emerging Synergies Between Information Technology and Applied Ethnobotanical Research

Abstract

Ethnobotanical research has historically played a vital role in humankinds understanding of the relationship between people and the biological environment. Today, it remains a rapidly growing field of research, gaining professional, student and public interest both within the US and internationally. Ethnobiologists have however been very slow to adopt and apply tools of the informatics revolution and to integrate research data collaboratively. If ethnobotany is to continue to develop as a discipline, what is needed in the near future is not only a continued effort to promote collaborative ethnobotanical research but also to develop an initiative to bridge the digital gap between ethnobiologists and emerging bioinformatics tools. Through an improved understanding of the application of information technologies and the traditional ethnobotanical research model, tomorrow’s scientists may better record and compare traditional botanical knowledge (TBK). This integration would greatly assist in stemming the tide of the unprecedented loss of global bio-cultural diversity in the twenty-first century.