Original Research: Social Responsibility and Education
Socially responsible ethnobotanical surveys in the Cape Floristic Region: ethical principles, methodology and quantification of data
Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Natuurwetenskap en Tegnologie | Vol 31, No 1 | a369 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/satnt.v31i1.369
| © 2012 Ben-Erik Van Wyk, Josef J. de Beer
| This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 June 2012 | Published: 23 November 2012
Submitted: 19 June 2012 | Published: 23 November 2012
About the author(s)
Ben-Erik Van Wyk, University of Johannesburg, South AfricaJosef J. de Beer, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Abstract
A broad overview of published and unpublished ethnobotanical surveys in the Cape Floristic Region (the traditional home of the San and Khoi communities) shows that the data is incomplete. There is an urgent need to record the rich indigenous knowledge about plants in a systematic and social responsible manner in order to preserve this cultural and scientific heritage for future generations. Improved methods for quantifying data are introduced, with special reference to the simplicity and benefits of the new Matrix Method. This methodology prevents or reduces the number of false negatives, and also ensures the participation of elderly people who might be immobile. It also makes it possible to compare plant uses in different local communities. This method enables the researcher to quantify the knowledge on plant use that was preserved in a community, and to determine the relative importance of a specific plant in a more objective way. Ethical considerations for such ethnobotanical surveys are discussed, through the lens of current ethical codes and international conventions. This is an accessible approach, which can also be used in the life sciences classroom.
Keywords
ethnobotany; Khoi and San cultures; medicinal plants; methodology; ethics
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