Presentation short abstract

Embedding futures thinking into the fabric of ethnobiological practice can contribute to foster biocultural resilience. This presentation reviews culturally grounded, future-oriented, and ethically engaged methodologies to imagine and actively co-create just and sustainable futures.

Presentation long abstract

In the face of accelerating environmental and socio-political changes, there is value in expanding the temporal scope of ethnobiology to more actively engage with the future. This perspective explores the potential of a forward-looking ethnobiology that incorporates methods from Futures Studies to co-envision and co-produce sustainable and just biocultural futures in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We highlight different methods and tools that can be repurposed to create inclusive, transdisciplinary spaces for community-led imagination, experimentation, and learning. By embedding futures thinking into the fabric of ethnobiological practice, the discipline can further enrich its longstanding role in fostering biocultural resilience. We argue that the time has come not only to imagine the future of ethnobiology, but to actively co-create it through culturally grounded, future-oriented, and ethically engaged methodologies. This shift repositions ethnobiology as a central force in advancing just and sustainable pathways.

Presentation short abstract

Stewardship practices are vital for addressing global change but are often overlooked in governance and science. To help make them visible and actionable, I share key findings from a thematic issue focused on embedding community stewardship in concrete actions.

Presentation long abstract

While Nature’s Contributions to People have been identified and classified for some time, research on the human activities that actively and positively support nature has only recently begun to develop in depth. These stewardship practices—ranging from everyday care for local ecosystems to community-led conservation initiatives—embody the reciprocal and interdependent relationship between humans and the natural world. They are essential for understanding how societies can adapt to accelerating global environmental changes. Yet, calls to integrate community stewardship into policy and planning, concrete shifts in governance remain limited. The obstacles to implementing stewardship-based transformative change, as well as the mechanisms for scaling and supporting such practices, remain insufficiently understood.

To help fill this gap and provide timely insights for the upcoming COP17, scheduled to take place in Armenia in November 2026, I present the main findings of a thematic issue examining the role of stewardship practices in linking rural and urban nature. The contributions explore how diverse forms of stewardship connect (agro-)ecosystems, human and non-human populations, and specific species—including cultural keystone species that hold ecological, cultural, and social significance. Together, these studies highlight the potential of stewardship to serve as a bridge between Indigenous and local knowledge, community action, and institutional decision-making. The thematic issue also examines how stewardship principles can be incorporated into policies and guidelines to improve environmental management, strengthen biodiversity conservation, and foster more resilient and inclusive socio-ecological systems.

Presentation short abstract

Ethnobotanical research in Catalan territories reveals how human-plant relationships capture evidence of socioecological conflicts and threatened biocultural heritage, and how these relationships might inspire sustainable transformations.

Presentation long abstract

Biocultural diversity—understood as the intertwined diversity of biological, cultural, and linguistic life—is being threatened worldwide. Human-plant relationships well illustrate the ongoing socioecological pressures and political struggles. Local ethnobotanical knowledge holders, guardians of biocultural heritage, are deeply affected by past and present conflicts over land, resources, and identity. Through their perspectives, plants and human-plant relationships emerge as entangled in disputes over access, regulation, cultural belonging, and ecological futures.

In this work, we explore how ethnobotanical research contributes to revealing local socioecological conflicts and to documenting the biocultural heritage at stake—including both plants species and the related knowledge. We focus on Catalan-speaking territories, where decades of ethnobotanical fieldwork have generated rich extensive databases on human-plant interactions, compiling 294,497 reports of names and uses for 2,027 plant taxa, shared by 3,857 informants. From the mountainous Upper Ter River Basin to the low-altitude peri-urban landscapes of Collserola, this research demonstrates how ethnobotanical studies—even those not explicitly designed to examine political dynamics—capture evidence of struggles over resources, governance, and landscape management. They also reveal how certain plants crystallize socioecological tensions across generations and among diverse local actors. By systematically documenting plant species and their uses, our ethnobotanical approaches contribute to empower local knowledge holders and maintain biocultural diversity. Finally, we argue that the richness of human-plant relationships, when analysed through a holistic lens encompassing cognitive, affective, and sensory dimensions, provides a fertile foundation for fostering more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable socioecological transformations.

Presentation short abstract

Seed systems shape, and are shaped by, cultural, technological, and political forces. Drawing on recent research from several countries, I will discuss how perspectives from ethnobotany, political ecology and other fields help us understand institutions governing farmers' seed system transformation.

Presentation long abstract

Human cultures have shaped crops, and crops have shaped cultures. Seeds and the social-ecological systems through which they circulate—seed systems—are products of this long history of agri-cultural coevolution. In the face of environmental and social crises, authoritative bodies such as the IPCC identify “shifting crop cultivars” as the most important on-farm adaptation strategy. Although this may sound straightforward, it is in fact a complex process carrying far-reaching ecological, social, and political implications.

In this talk, I will present findings and perspectives on how seed systems have evolved and how they continue to shape, and be shaped by, broader cultural, technological, and political forces. Drawing on recent research from Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda, and other geographical contexts, I will discuss the role of values and norms, and the interactions between formal and informal institutions, that govern farmers' seed systems. I will discuss the influence of tradition and innovation in seed system evolution and argue that cultural factors, as well as intertwined cultural and biological—biocultural—dynamics, remain underappreciated in seed-system research, policy, and practice.

My aim is to spark discussion on theoretical approaches and methods from ethnobotany, political ecology and other fields that can help us understand the role of biocultural factors in the ongoing evolution—and transformation—of seed systems.

Presentation short abstract

Despite global recognition, pastoralism faces acute threats from environmental, social, and political pressures. This talk uses ethnobiology and political ecology to analyze governance conflicts in pastoral commons and envision sustainable futures for traditional livelihoods.

Presentation long abstract

The United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, recognizing pastoralists' vital role in ecosystem stewardship, socio-ecological resilience, and rural livelihoods worldwide. Despite this growing recognition, pastoralism faces severe threats from environmental, social, and political pressures worldwide. In European regions where pastoralism has been a traditional livelihood for centuries, these pressures lead to precarious living conditions and a decline in generational succession. While current policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) aim to support rural economies, they often do not sufficiently incentivize care and reciprocity central to pastoralist cultures.

This presentation draws on ethnobiology and political ecology to examine conflicts emerging from divergent governance and management approaches to pastoral commons. Focusing on Navarre, the case study explores how traditional pastoral practices clash with institutional policies. Ethnobiological methods offer empirical insights into complex relationships among humans, animals, and their environment through expressions of traditional knowledge and practices. Political ecology contextualizes the changes in traditional livelihoods by analyzing power dynamics, economic interests, and policy frameworks. For instance, policies have prioritized metrics like animal numbers and land size over the production of valued animal products. This shift has led to the loss of locally important products such as wool and viscera, now often regarded as waste, and contributed to the decline of endemic animal species due to diminished market demand. The presentation concludes by discussing participatory and transdisciplinary approaches that aim to envision and support sustainable futures for pastoralist communities in Europe and beyond.

Presentation short abstract

Norway’s right to roam protects traditional foraging practices but could threaten plants, mushrooms, and capitalist laborers. This study shows how the Norwegian Association for Mycology and Foraging exerts discursive power in interpreting laws and setting norms for just human-nature relationships.

Presentation long abstract

Norway preserves one of the purest forms of the right to roam, including the right to harvest wild plants and mushrooms. With long roots in customary law, it grants open access to 95% of the country, covered in forests, meadows, mountains and coastlines. These rights supported subsistence gathering, rural trade, and travelers’ needs. Today, however, foraging transcends idealized traditional use. Coinciding with the New Nordic Food movement, gathering has entered urban economies. This shift coincides with threatening species such as wild garlic, now on the Norwegian Red List due to overharvesting, along with human rights violations against capitalist laborers in the Nordics.

In this context, the Norwegian Association for Mycology and Foraging seeks to steer sustainable gathering governance. Drawing on 2.5 years of participant observation, interviews and document analysis, this study examines how the Association exerts its discursive power to influence gatherers and the governance matrix. I first outline legal frameworks that protect nature and define access rights. Then, I analyze the Association’s interpretations of these laws and propositions for best practices. Finally, I present ambiguities in these laws and norms, pinpointing particular species, ecotypes, and practices, and show how the Association asserts its epistemic authority through addressing these gray zones. In a capitalist society that risks moving past the original intent of the right to roam, the Association plays a critical role in supporting generative human-nature relationships while denying exploitative ones. I conclude by emphasizing the interplay between formal legal structures and informal social norms in shaping just futures.

Presentation short abstract

This talk examines how ethnobiological knowledge is mobilized in Indigenous land rights litigation. Drawing on global case studies, we explore the types of evidence used in court, their political implications, and the challenges and opportunities for ethnobiologists as allies in such struggles.

Presentation long abstract

This presentation explores the emerging interface between ethnobiology and legal systems, focusing on court cases where ethnobiological knowledge has contributed to defending Indigenous Peoples’ land and territorial rights. Around the world, Indigenous communities have drawn upon their deep-rooted relationships with local ecosystems to demonstrate continuity of occupation, customary use, and cultural significance of ancestral territories. In parallel, ethnobiologists have increasingly participated as expert witnesses or provided research that substantiates these claims in judicial contexts. By reviewing a set of international case studies, this talk highlights the growing relevance of ethnobiological evidence (such as plant use traditions, ecological calendars, place-based nomenclature, and historical land-use patterns) in legal and political processes. We identify recurring patterns in how such evidence is mobilized, the types of claims it supports, and the institutional conditions under which it becomes legally persuasive. We also reflect on the ethical, methodological, and epistemological challenges of using ethnobiological knowledge in adversarial legal arenas, including issues of data sovereignty, representation, extractivism and risks of epistemic reductionism. Ultimately, we argue that ethnobiologists can serve as important allies in struggles for justice and territorial restitution, provided their engagement remains accountable to Indigenous priorities and governance systems.

Presentation short abstract

Using a Batwa case study, this presentation asks how ethnopharmacology and political ecology can collaborate to support land reappropriation and address the structural and environmental injustices affecting both health and medicinal knowledge.

Presentation long abstract

Ethnopharmacology and political ecology address overlapping concerns, yet their advocacy efforts rarely converge in a structured way. Political ecology analyses the historical and structural forces—colonial dispossession, land evictions, extractive economies—that shape environmental injustice. Ethnopharmacology, meanwhile, often works closely with Indigenous and traditional communities whose medicinal knowledge depends on access to ancestral territories now compromised by these same processes. Although this proximity gives ethnopharmacologists insight into the everyday impacts of unjust policies, existing policy frameworks—most notably the Nagoya Protocol—focus mainly on immediate research-related harms such as biopiracy, leaving broader issues like land loss, ecological degradation, and colonial continuities insufficiently addressed.

This presentation asks how the two fields might collaborate more intentionally to strengthen community-led efforts toward environmental justice. To ground this question, we draw on our collaboration with the Batwa, evicted from their forest homelands in the 1990s. What began as an ethnopharmacological project quickly shifted when the community contacted us during a severe tungiasis outbreak. Because the Batwa had been excluded from the forest where they once accessed plants used for traditional treatment, the outbreak escalated into a serious public health crisis. Responding required mobilising a specialised NGO for disease intervention—revealing how research with land-dispossessed communities can rapidly cross into forms of urgent care.

This experience shows why ethnopharmacologists increasingly encounter advocacy terrains associated with political ecology: land rights, environmental degradation, and structural marginalisation. We argue that shared spaces, joint frameworks, and cross-disciplinary networks could help both fields develop more coherent, community-aligned strategies for supporting the communities we work with.

Presentation short abstract

Working with the Siekopai, we document game masters and the reciprocal relations that shape territorial care, offering a pathway for Indigenous-led conservation in the Amazon.

Presentation long abstract

Indigenous-led conservation in the Amazon requires attending to the reciprocal relations that sustain life across human and non-human worlds. For the Siekopai Nation in the Ecuadorian Amazon, wildlife presence is intertwined with ma'ka taañë: the owners or masters of animals whose histories and expectations guide relations with the forest. To understand how these relations are being reshaped by diverse social–ecological dynamics, we bridge ethnobiology with political ecology by combining ecological assessments with collaborative interpretation across knowledge systems among the authors. We deployed 37 camera traps for 90 days and conducted twice-monthly transect surveys over 12 months, documenting species presence, abundance, and spatial distribution. In parallel, repeated discussions, narrative sessions, and painting work with Siekopai elder, artist, and co-author César Payaguaje generated accounts of the masters, their origin narratives, and the relational obligations that govern engagement with the forest. Results demonstrate that proximity to extractive infrastructures/ activities (e.g., palm plantations, roads) correlates with both declining biodiversity and the withdrawal of masters from degraded landscapes. Siekopai interpretations frame these shifts not only as ecological change but as disruptions in the reciprocal relations that sustain animals and their masters. These findings now guide Siekopai leadership in establishing conservation zones that align with their cultural norms and strengthen territorial care. This paper demonstrates how Siekopai ethnobiological knowledge of ma'ka taañë informs contemporary political ecology praxis. Ultimately, Siekopai stewardship shows that reciprocity can support future abundance and autonomy that drives more just and plural conservation practice.

Presentation short abstract

IPLCAD are struggling to defend their cultures and territories. Local Ecological Knowledge is part of the ressource they have to do so. The lack of adequate tools, such as databases, difficults even more their fights. We will here present some of these tools and the current debates surrounding them.

Presentation long abstract

The connections between political ecology and ethnobiology can be numerous. By trying to understand past and present local and Indigenous peoples’ agencies in the genesis of contemporary landscapes, ethnoecology serves as an important provider of local ecological data. But the data itself, as well as the way it is sourced, is often the object of conflicts. In most parts of the world, local and Indigenous knowledge holders are currently struggling for recognition of their cultures and territories. All the local ecological knowledge they hold, while potentially helpful in achieving this recognition, is also valuable — and sometimes valued in inappropriate ways — for other purposes, such as nature conservation, bioeconomy, or the pharmaceutical industry.

To address such pitfalls, the Nagoya Protocol has established guidelines, and some countries are leading efforts to implement regulatory measures, but their concrete application remains challenging. One difficulty is the lack of adequate technical tools, and ongoing discussions are taking place in various working groups regarding databases.

This short communication will offer an opportunity to present and advocate for some of these tools, as well as to provide an overview of the debates surrounding them. If knowledge is power, databases are one of the most valuable weapons.

Presentation short abstract

We share learnings from a knowledge co-creation process aimed at reclaiming the biocultural memory of Bilbao outskirts. From a transdisciplinary approach, we produced a collective cartography that traces changing socioecological bonds and highlights social capacities to face environmental challenges

Presentation long abstract

The neighbourhoods Betolaza, Circunvalación and Uretamendi were constructed hand by hand by rural migrants from Spanish areas that moved to Bilbao outskirts in the 50´s. They settled in the slopes of Arraiz mountain, organized themselves to get public services and transform the environmental conditions of the area. Our research project aimed at enhancing social equity in planning of nature based solutions (NbS) in urban contexts. We explored how NbS can be anchored in an understanding of environmental history and socio-ecological relations. We worked together with local organizations, decision-makers, technicians, professionals in a transdisciplinary process combining approaches from environmental sciences, ethnobiology, sociology and political ecology. Through interviews, workshops, participatory mapping and quantitative sociodemographic analysis, we recovered biocultural memories of the area in a map and a booklet of stories. The stories told relate the social organization, the sense of community and the ways of organizing collectively in the face of adverse environmental situations such as floods and wildfires. They also uncover the bonds with their environment, like kid games in the mountains, the journey of underground rivers or the formation of community orchards. In this presentation we will share the resulting cartography of environmental histories, that speaks of the transformation of socio-ecological relationships over urbanization and the existing yet often invisible social capacities to cope with adverse climatic events.

Presentation short abstract

By dialoguing with Sustainability Science and the Environmental Humanities, Ethnobiology could more seriously integrate systemic and critical perspectives. This dialogue would strengthen its political dimension to jointly address sustainability and environmental justice challenges.

Presentation long abstract

The amplification and complexity of sustainability and environmental issues have led to profound transformations in academia over the last decades. In particular, we have witnessed a shift toward interdisciplinary collaborations between the social and environmental sciences, as well as toward the meaningful inclusion of non-academic actors and knowledge through so-called transdisciplinary research. Sustainability science (SustSci) and the environmental humanities (EnvHum) are two emerging research fields that exemplify these efforts to cross disciplinary and science-society boundaries. However, a critical analysis of the two research fields suggests that, rather than overcoming academic boundaries, they contributed to reshaping them. SustSci seeks to develop a systemic understanding of social-ecological systems and focuses on fostering sustainable interactions between humans and non-humans. EnvHum, in contrast, offers a critical examination of power relations—both among humans and between humans and non-humans—highlighting the need to reduce all forms of domination. In this context, I argue that ethnobiology can help bridge these two perspectives by jointly addressing sustainability and environmental justice challenges. Ethnobiology is historically well positioned to document the plurality of ways of living in the world, to conduct nature-based assessments, and to emphasize sustainable human–nature interactions. Yet addressing distributive, procedural, and epistemic injustices remains a more peripheral concern within ethnobiological research. While some ethnobiologists have recently called for a political ethnobiology, Political Ecology and other EnvHum scholarship offer underexplored sources of inspiration for advancing this renewed research agenda.