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Accepted Paper:
Can citizen science assist with the loss of traditional ethnobotanical knowledge?
William Milliken
(Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew)
Paper short abstract:
Community oriented research for protection of traditional knowledge needs careful evaluation. Engaging ‘citizen science’ in ethnobotany is a relatively new approach, and we report on the data collected in Colombia using Survey123: the benefits and the problems.
Paper long abstract:
Traditional ecological knowledge is rapidly being eroded and requires urgent measures. Engaging ‘citizen science’ in collection of ethnobotanical knowledge is a relatively new approach (although traditional ethnobotanists have always worked together with the knowledge holders). We have been collecting ethnobotanical data on the use of plants and fungi in Colombia using Survey123 (ArcGIS), on mobile phones. This has been done by training local people, engaging the research processes, and sharing the results. Community oriented research for protection of traditional knowledge requires careful evaluation and improvement. Was Survey123 an appropriate means to collect the data? Were the data collected sufficiently accurate? Has the knowledge been put in an appropriate form for the communities? Has the involvement of local citizen science researchers helped protect traditional knowledge, for future generations? We outline the benefits and the problems with this approach, and some potential improvements of these techniques for the future.