Ethics in Ethnobotanical Research: Intersection of Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge Systems
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29169/1927-5951.2020.10.04.6Keywords:
Ethics, ethnobotany, indigenous knowledge system, scientific knowledge system, voucher specimens.Abstract
This study examines the state of research ethics and professional conduct in ethnobotanical studies. In this study, “ethnobotany” is defined as the study of the knowledge, skills and daily uses of plants in a particular area that enable the people of the local community to get the most out of their environment. Ethnobotanical research impinges on local peoples’ lives, sources of livelihoods, their environment and cultures, and this raises many ethical issues in the process. This paper documented information on important ethical considerations when engaging in ethnobotanical research and discusses the importance of a written agreement with local people specifying the elements of research collaboration, the responsibilities of each party, potential benefits to be derived from the research project, intellectual property agreements and disposition of the research results.
References
Rosenthal R. Science and ethics in conducting, analysing and reporting psychological research. Psychol Sci 1994; 5: 127-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1994.tb00646.x
Smith F, Francis S-A, Schafheutle E. International research in healthcare. Ulla Pharmacy Series, London; 2008.
Hyder AA, et al. Ethical review of health systems research in low- and middle-income countries: A conceptual exploration. American J Bioethics. 2014; 14: 28-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2013.868950
De Beer J, Van Wyk B-E. Doing an ethnobotanical survey in the life sciences classroom. American Biol Teacher 2011; 73: 90-7. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2011.73.2.7
Ford RI. Ethnobotany: Historical diversity and synthesis in the nature and status of ethnobotany. In Ford RI (Editor), Anthropological papers No. 67. Ann. Arbor M.I. University of Michigan, Museum of Anthropology, Michigan; 1978, pp. 33-49.
Ballick MJ, Cox PA. Plants, people and culture: The Science of Ethnobotany. Scientific American Library, New York; 1996.
Gilmore MP, Eshbaugh WH. From researcher to partner: Ethical challenges and issues facing the ethnobotanical researcher. In Anderson EN, Pearsall D, Hunn E and Turner N (Editors), Ethnobiology. Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken; 2011, pp. 51-63. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118015872.ch4
Hardison P, Bannister P. Ethics in ethnobiology: History, international law and policy, and contemporary issues. In Anderson EN, Pearsall D, Hunn E and Turner N (Editors), Ethnobiology. Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken; 2011, pp. 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118015872.ch3
Salick J, Konchar K, Nesbitt M. Biocultural collections: Needs, ethics and goals. In Salick J, Konchar K and Nesbitt M (Editors), Curating biocultural collections: A handbook. Richmond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Publishing, Kew, Richmond; 2014, pp. 1-13.
Rates SMK. Plants as a source of drugs. Toxicon. 2001; 39: 603-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0041-0101(00)00154-9
Mugabe J. Intellectual property protection and traditional knowledge: An exploration in international policy discourse. African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi; 1998. Available from: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/tk/en/ wipo_unhchr_ip_pnl_98/, accessed on 2 February 2020.
Greary J, et al. Access and benefits sharing of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in northern Canada: Understanding the legal environment and creating effective research agreements. Int J Circumpola Health 2013; 72: 21351. https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21351
Schüklenk U. Module one: Introduction to research ethics. Developing World Bioethics 2005; 5: 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-8847.2005.00099.x
International Society of Ethnobiology. ISE code of ethics (with 2008 additions); 2006. Available from: http://ethnobiology.net/code-of-ethics/, accessed on 24 February 2020.
Eisenman SW, Tucker AO, Struwe L. Voucher specimens are essential for documenting source material used in medicinal plant investigations. J Medicinally Active Pl 2012; 1: 8.
Bridson D, Forman L. The herbarium handbook. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond; 1998.
Victor JE, et al. Herbarium essentials: The southern African herbarium user manual. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 25, Pretoria; 2004.
Holmgren PK, Holmgren NH, Barnett LC. Index herbariorum, Part 1: The herbaria of the world. Regnum Veg. 120, Bronx, The New York Botanical Garden, New York; 1990.
Carter R, Bryson CT, Darbyshire SJ. Preparation and use of voucher specimens for documenting research in weed science. Weed Technol 2007; 21: 1101-8. https://doi.org/10.1614/WT-07-007.1
Nesbitt M. Use of herbarium specimens in ethnobotany. In Salick J, Konchar K, Nesbitt M (Editors), Curating biocultural collections: A handbook. Richmond, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Publishing, Kew, Richmond; 2014, pp. 313-28.
Bye RA. Voucher specimens in ethnobiological studies and publications. J Ethnobiol 1986; 6: 1-8.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 Alfred Maroyi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Similar Articles
- Parvin Bastani, Aziz Homayouni, Leila Norouzi-Panahi, Arash Tondhoush, Sharareh Norouzi, ElnazVaghef Mehrabany , Zahra Kasaie, The Mechanisms of Immune System Regulation by Probiotics in Immune-Related Diseases , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 6 No. 3 (2016)
- S.A. Sheikh, S.M. Nizamani, A.A. Jamali, M.I. Kumbhar, Pesticides and Associated Impact on Human Health: A Case of Small Farmers in Southern Sindh, Pakistan , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 1 No. 1 (2011)
- Shariza Sahudin, Mumtaz Hussain, Nor Farhah Abdul Ghaffar , Azyyati Mohd Suhaimi, A Diabetes and Obesity Crisis: Preliminary Study of Lifestyle, Diet, Knowledge and Attitude of Malaysian Pharmacy Undergraduates Towards Type-2 Diabetes , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 7 No. 4 (2017)
- Y.A. Kirillov, M.A. Kozlova, L.A. Makartseva, D.A. Areshidze, S.A. Kucher, I.A. Chernov, E.V. Shtemplevskaya, The Effect of Chronic Alcohol Intoxication on the Daily Rhythm of Some Micromorphometric Parameters of Rat Hepatocytes , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 11 (2021)
- Laila S. Al-Saadi , Amanat Ali , Mostafa I. Waly , K.M. Al-Zuhaibi, Impact of Dietary Patterns and Nutritional Status on the Academic Performance of Omani School Students , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 3 (2020)
- Rukmaini , Nur Indrawaty Lipoeto , Masrul , Nursyirwan Effendi, The Analysis of Anemia Prevention Model in Pregnant Women in Banten , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 9 No. 6 (2019)
- Gul Nawaz Khan, Imtiaz Hussain, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Arjumand Rizvi , Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Study on the Household Use of Iodised Salt in Sindh and Punjab Provinces, Pakistan: Implications for Policy Makers , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 2 No. 2 (2012)
- Rashidi Othman, Siti Farah Aliya Abdul Halim, Farah Ayuni Mohd Hatta , Mohd Aizat Jamaludin, Carotenoid Content and Composition in 20 Medicinal Plant Species of Traditional Malay Midwifery Postnatal Bath , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 7 No. 4 (2017)
- Betilija Fadi Sekošan , Daniela Kenjeri, Observational Cross-Sectional Study on Dietary Supplementation among Adults in Eastern Croatia , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 7 No. 2 (2017)
- Ika Fidianingsih , Titis Nurmasitoh , Aulia Dian Ashari , Desi Yana , Dwi Nur Ahsani, Structural Changes to Immune Organs in Rats after Intermittent Fasting Following a High Carb and Fat Diet , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 8 No. 1 (2018)
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Alfred Maroyi, A Synthesis and Review of Medicinal uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Maerua crassifolia Forssk. (Capparaceae) , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Gardenia volkensii K. Schum. (Rubiaceae): Review of Medicinal uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Brachylaena elliptica and B. ilicifolia (Asteraceae): A Comparative Analysis of their Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Maerua angolensis DC. (Capparaceae): A Review of its Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Medicinal Uses, Biological and Chemical Properties of Wild Plum (Harpephyllum caffrum): An Indigenous Fruit Plant of Southern Africa , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 9 No. 5 (2019)
- Alfred Maroyi, A Synthesis and Review of Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties of Cissampelos mucronata A. Rich. (Menispermaceae) , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Lannea microcarpa: A Review of its Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 8 No. 4 (2018)
- Alfred Maroyi, Baccharoides lasiopus: Review of its Medicinal uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Properties , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi, Evaluation of Medicinal uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities of Adenia gummifera (Harv.) Harms , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 10 No. 5 (2020)
- Alfred Maroyi , Helichrysum nudifolium (L.) Less.: Review of its Medicinal Uses, Phytochemistry and Biological Activities , Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences : Vol. 9 No. 3 (2019)