About the Journal

Ethnobotany Research and Applications is an electronic, peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary and multi-lingual journal devoted to the rapid dissemination of current research in any areas related to Ethnobiology. The journal is currently published by the Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The journal seeks manuscripts that are novel, integrative and written in ways that are accessible to a wide audience. This includes an array of disciplines (Biological and Social Sciences) concerned particularly with theoretical questions in the field of Ethnobiology that leads to practical applications. Articles can also be based on the perspectives of cultural practitioners and others with insights into plants, people and applied research. Database papers, Ethnobiological inventories, Ethnobotanical Notes, Methodology reviews, Education studies and Theoretical discussions are also published.

Papers that are primarily agronomic or horticultural, and those concerned mainly with analytical data on the chemical constituents of plants, or bioassays are out of scope for ERA and should be submitted elsewhere.

ERA is indexed in Scopus and Crossref.

Current Issue

Vol. 27 (2024): Special Issue: Through the Ethnobiologists' eyes: Local communities, Biodiversity conservation, Sustainable livelihoods of the Belt and Road Countries

In 2022, United Nation Biodiversity conference proposed Ecological civilization-Building a shared future for all life on Earth. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework set the ambitious goals of the “30-30” target.

Ethnobiology which studies the interrelationship between plants, animals, environments and people has a long research tradition. Ethnobiology research has played a positive role in Sustainable rural community development, in terms of understanding dynamics of human-plant/nature interactions, promoting sustainable resource utilization, and rural development. With the global reach of the Belt & Road Initiative over the last 10 years, it is a timely moment to reflect and re-investigate the role of ethnobiology in promoting a sustainable people-nature relationship. 

China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for international cooperation that covers more than 150 countries mainly in Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America. Construction of ecological civilizations and green economies are the guiding principles while promoting multilateral cooperation amongst BRI countries. Issues of environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development are required considerations for investment and trade, through which an environmental friendly future in BRI countries is projected. Given the diverse cultures and rich natural resources of the Belt & Road countries, ethnobiology can provide valuable insights.

Previous publications about sustainable development in the Belt & Road Countries largely cover regional and national topics, but little information is found at community level. However, local communities along the Belt & Road Countries together with various partners are taking actions for the improvement of their livelihoods, and social and ecological well-being. These initiatives need to be showcased, not only within the academic community, but also among policy makers, private sector, and the general public. With this volume we aim at communicating the efforts of local communities and ethnobiologists to address these issues.

Topics we are interested in

  • Studies showcasing the importance of ethnobiological knowledge for local livelihoods and Biodiversity conservation
  • Environment and people relationships through the eyes of local people
  • Good practices for Access and Benefit sharing
  • Case studies documenting traditional knowledge and its local and global applications
  • Ethnobiological research by local people/methodological approaches
  • Ethnobiological knowledge for sustainable business innovations

 

Editors

Prof. Dr. Rainer W Bussmann
Department of Botany, State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe, 76133 Karlsruhe, German; rainer.bussmann@smnk.de
Department of Ethnobotany, Institute of Botany, Ilia State University, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia; rainer.bussmann@iliauni,edu.ge

Prof. Yang Xuefei
Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 132 Lanhei Road, Kunming, China 650201
xuefei@mail.kib.ac.cn

Prof. Wawan Sujarwo
Research Center for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), KST. Soekarno, Jalan Raya Jakarta-Bogor Km.46, Cibinong 16911, Indonesia
wawan.sujarwo@gmail.com; wawan.sujarwo@brin.go.id

Dr. Sailesh Ranjitkar
N.Gene Solution of Natural Innovation, Kathmandu, Nepal
sailesh.ranjitkar@gmail.com

Prof. Dr. Caroline S. Weckerle
University of Zürich, Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany and Botanical Garden, Zürich. Switzerland
caroline.weckerle@uzh.ch

Dr. Karuppusamy Arunachalam
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Costa e Silva, s/n, Bairro Universitário, ZIP code-79070-900, Campo Grande – MS.
arunachalam.k@ufms.br

Timeline
August 2024 submission deadline 

Published: 2024-03-01

Research

Databases and Inventories

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