Ethnobotany: A methods manual (People and Plants Conservation Manuals, Vol 1) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When designing an ethnobotanical project, it is important to define what you wish to achieve and then to select the approach which best suits your..." (more)
Key Phrases: lingots blancs, lentilles blondes, ethnopharmacological method, United States, Kinabalu Park, Sierra Norte of Oaxaca (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

I caught a glimpse of the table of contents, and it looks wonderful - Society for Economic Botany Newsletter; ...provides a detailed overview of this emerging discipline. Aimed primarily at researchers who are beginning field studies, it gives clear descriptions of the skills and methods most commonly employed by ethnobotanists. It will also be of interest to experienced field workers who wish to review new concepts and techniques drawn from botany, anthropology, economics, ethnopharmacology and other disciplines.. - Krypto News; However, in keeping the text firmly focused on the discussion of field techniques and rooted in a project base, with the use of real examples, Martin succeeds in providing some valuable information about research tools. I greatly appreciated the final section which offered ethical guidelines for conducting ethnobotanical studies with local people, communities and indigenous organisations. - International Journal of Environmental Studies; Nominated for the 1996 Society for Economic Botany Newsletter Outstanding Book Award

Product Description

The potential for development of drugs and other chemically active substance from plants is huge and has only recently become widely recognized. Moreover, it is now all the more urgent due to widespread destruction of the plants' habitats and the human ethnic groups that possess the intimate knowledge of the potential of such plants. This subject - dubbed "ethnobotany" - has great implications for conservationists worldwide. This book tackles this subject in a new series in plant conservation sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). As with each of the books in the series, it aims to give an authoritative guide to the subject in a clear, jargon-free style. It should therefore not only be of interest to academic botanists and pharmaceutical personnel but also to the many "amateur" collectors (or "parataxonomists"), as well as nature guides, and other field workers. It is written in three parts, representing three levels of difficulty for ease of use. Working figures clarify key concepts, clear tables represent research data and examples explain case studies in some detail. The source book at the end of the book contains the most technical information, and points the way to more information. A full bibliography contains references to all cited articles and books. This book should be of interest to conservation biologists, plant ecologists/economic botanists, ethnobotanists, conservation and aid agency personnel, agroforestry experts, anthropologists, and pharmaceutical/pharmacologists, phytochemists.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (December 31, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041248370X
• ISBN-13: 978-0412483707
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,830,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent text for an ethnobotany field methods course., February 24, 1999

By A Customer

This book is one of the very few that is perfect for teaching a college level ethnobotany field methods class. It covers the how-tos of data collection, hypothesis testing, plant identification and collection for both general purposes and for phytochemical analysis. The book also includes sections on anthropological, ecological, economic, linguistic, conservation, and community development skills and knowledge necessary to going into the field to do ethnobotanical research.

Class curriculum can be easily organized around the information provided in Martin's book. The only drawback to this book is the fact that it sold out very quickly in its first edition and the first reprint, both in 1995, so at the moment its back ordered waiting on the next reprinting.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!, January 7, 2007

By	M. Rao (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ethnobotany: A Methods Manual (Earthscan People Plants International Conservation Series) (Paperback)

Excellent book, great bridge in the gap in the relevant literature. If you are a budding botanist, it is a must read, very comprehensive and a must-have in order to gather information and follow the scientific method

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good if you can get it, May 13, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Ethnobotany: A Methods Manual (Earthscan People Plants International Conservation Series) (Paperback)

This is a good book. I've seen the new edition, which is really just a reprint, with no updating that I could notice -- the computer analysis applications could have used an update, as technology has advanced in the years since its original publication. If you liked the original, you'll like this one.

It's an excellent manual that should be read by anyone planning to go in the field.

I intended to use this book for a class starting in Feb 2004, and since the release date was supposedly late 03 or Jan 04, I felt confident in ordering it. No such luck. It never did arrive, and the distributor was quite unapologetic about not even being able to track where the books were or when they might get to the US (it's a British publishing house). They even told me that I should have known better than to plan on it being out when they said that it would!!

But that's not Gary Martin's fault, and I suppose it's a testament to how popular the book is. Too bad we did not get to use it.