What are the most significant challenges that ethnobiology and ethnomedicine have faced so far, and how were they dealt with?

Abstract

Ethnobiology explores the complex, evolving relationships between humans and the natural world, encompassing diverse subfields such as ethnobotany, ethnozoology, ethnopharmacology, and more. This scientific field of research has undergone several developmental phases since its inception in the late nineteenth century, evolving from colonial-era documentation of useful species to contemporary collaborative and decolonized approaches that emphasize community participation and interdisciplinary research addressing global crises. All ethnobiological studies are valuable especially if they ultimately help to foster science and conservation and improve the livelihoods of the populations whose plants and knowledge are studied. Hypothesis driven studies just serving scientific ego are borderline neocolonial, as is the transfer of values, opinions, beliefs, analysis methods that we personally regard as true onto societies we work with, without first obtaining prior informed consent. Great care must be taken when interpreting the results of molecular data and statistical analyses (indices), and much more care needs to be taken distinguishing between "knowledge" and actual "use". And we must remember that the basis of any Ethnobiological studies is a solid botanical, zoological, and ecological knowledge, i.e., especially the correct taxonomic identification of plants and animal species. Given the emergence of sharing knowledge as part of "online information", it is important to safeguard aspects such as data sovereignty, as data could be extracted from its original context to be misused or commercialized without proper consent or without sharing benefits. Contextualizing the development of research by considering the existence of digital tools that transform and influence the way knowledge is transmitted and learned and considering that community members have access to many of these tools and use them in their search for information is essential. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), offer possibilities for new modes of analysis. By transforming their set of methodological tools, ethnobiologists can improve the rigor, inclusiveness, and social relevance of their work. Methodological innovation creates opportunities to include a greater diversity of perspectives, particularly those of underrepresented communities, and to respond more effectively to contemporary socioecological challenges. The impact of research must begin to be measured beyond the pure impact of publications. The social relevance of research must begin to be considered and evaluated.