Ethnobiology and Development: Relevance of Traditional Knowledge in the Growth of Natural Products Industry and Sustainable Environmental Management

Abstract

Traditional or indigenous communities have for a long time contributed to the accumulation of world knowledge. Unfortunately, in the context of modern science and technology this knowledge is largely ignored and undervalued. Recent approaches to development and industrialisation, however, are geared towards up-scaling traditional innovations, technologies and inventions. There are traditional practices especially in utilisation biological resources that are likely to contribute to acceleration of development of natural products industry and sustainable environmental management in the 21st century. These may include indigenous knowledge of local plants and forest products, knowledge on important species for integration in pest management, innovative ideas in ecological processes and land use. This paper explores the relevance of ethnobiological data in sustainable natural products industrial development and environmental management