Hobbies And Interests
Ethnography
An ethnobotanist's focus on ethnography is what separates her field from traditional botanists. Instead of just studying plants in their natural setting, ethnobotanists also study the peoples and cultures that interact with these plants. Ethnobotanists usually hold graduate degrees in botany or biology, but also hold additional training in sociology, history, linguistics or archeology. As such, these scientists are especially interested in how plants are used for medicine, food, shelter, clothing and ceremonies.
Drug Development
The use of plants as medicine has long been a focus of botany. One reason ethnobotanists explore the relationship between culture and plants is in the pursuit of drug development and medical breakthroughs. The Amazon rainforest, for example, contains innumerable species of plants. Living amid these plants, many indigenous tribes have sought their aid for medical purposes. Ethnobotanists seek to understand how these indigenous tribes use plants as medicine, an understanding that may lead to new ingredients for more effective drugs.
Fieldwork
Ethnobotanists divide their time between their professional duties as professors or researchers and fieldwork. Field work requires that an ethnobotanist spend long periods of time in remote villages. In the field, they spend countless hours engaged in careful observation, conversing with village inhabitants and experimenting on plants of interest. Through this process, an ethnobotanist strives to understand the bond between indigenous tribes and the surrounding plants.
Ethical Considerations
Knowledge about plants and their medical benefits is usually reserved for trusted members of indigenous tribes, most often the shamans or medicine men of the village. To explore the effects of plants on a particular village, a ethnobotanist must form a relationship with the villagers and earn their trust. Oftentimes, this trust places the ethnobotanists in a position where they are exposed to privileged information. Some information may even be kept secret from members of the native village. As a result, ethnobotanists must consider issues of ownership over plant information. These issues are handled on a case-by-case basis. Many ethnobotanists choose to financially compensate indigenous people for their valuable information and contributions.