Bridging local and scientific knowledge for area-based conservation of useful plants in Colombia.

ABSTRACT: While the importance of interdisciplinary approaches is increasingly recognised in conservation, bridging knowledge systems across scales remains a fundamental challenge. Focusing on the Important Plant Areas (IPA) approach, we evaluate how complementing scientific and local knowledge can better inform the conservation of useful plants in Colombia. We worked in three municipalities to investigate knowledge on useful plant richness, species composition and use types, as well as perceptions on area-based plant conservation approaches. Participatory focus groups and ethnobotanical walks-in-the-woods were undertaken with local communities, while scientific data were represented by occurrence records from global data aggregators and digitised collections. A total of 1190 species with human uses

SUBMITTER: Kor L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10774498 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature