Ethnobiology! Until when will the colonialist legacy be reinforced?

In this essay, we will present arguments for a negative answer to the debate question: "Is publishing ethnobiology data respectful of Indigenous and Local Knowledge holders' rights?" We recognize that ethnobiological research has advanced in recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), but we believe that we still have a long way to go in deconstructing colonialism in ethnobiology. In order to be truly respectful, ethnobiologists need to collaborate with IPLC to achieve an ethical science with equity between knowledge systems, fostering the co-production of knowledge from an intercultural science perspective. This essay was written by a group of Brazilian scientists, both IPLC and non-IPLC, and reflects a perspective of the academic universe seen from the place we are, in this multicultural and imbalanced world.

Tracing gender variation in traditional knowledge: participatory tools to promote conservation in a Quilombola community in Brazil.

Background: Based on participatory research tools and analysis with a gender focus, we aim to identify the knowledge associated with native plants of the Atlantic Forest in one Quilombola community whose territory is juxtaposed with a protected area, in South Brazil.

Methods: Through the perception of the residents of the Quilombola community of São Roque, we classified the availability, harvesting intensity, abundance, and importance of fourteen plants native to the Atlantic Forest found in their territory. These fourteen plants were selected after initial interviews with a free listing of plants done with all adults (44 people), followed by plant collection and identification.

Brazilian Environment and Plants as Seen by Japanese Eyes Two Hundred and Twenty Years Ago.

In 2023, the Japanese migration to Brazil completed 115 years. However, the first time Japanese people arrived in Brazil and left a testimony of their experience was about two centuries ago. Their reports were registered in a historical document, handwritten during the Edo period when Japan was adopting a closed-door policy.

Local and traditional knowledge systems, resistance, and socioenvironmental justice.

In this essay, for the debate series of Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, I argue against the oversimplified causal argument that the maintenance of local and traditional knowledge systems is related to less advantaged circumstances. This statement is based on a colonialist perspective of what a less advantageous circumstance is, which is being questioned by several authors. It also ignores the struggles and resistance of traditional knowledge holders and the urgent call for socioenvironmental justice.