Ethnobiology

Ethnobiology is the study of the past and present interrelationships between human cultures and the plants,  animals, and other organisms in their environment, including relationships with ecosystems as a whole. It is an interdisciplinary subject which draws on knowledge from many different fields of knowledge such as linguistics, anthropology, biology, chemistry.

The field itself focuses on the study of how human societies relate to the biosphere. It is therefore conventionally centered in the use of diverse flora and fauna by indigenous societies. Humans relate to plants and animals both in space and time. Therefore, this relationship encompasses human cultures worldwide and it includes the past and the present human interactions with the living environment.

The term ethnobiology did not come into use until the twentieth century (Sillitoe, 2006). It was originally and is still being referred to as biological anthropology by many scholars in related disciplines. However, unlike the traditional biological anthropology which primarily studies humans and the nonhuman primates as biological organism, ethnobiology is wider in scope, both in academic and practical aspects. Most importantly, ethnobiology makes apparent academic connection between human cultural practices and subdisciplines of biology.

The principal disciplines of enthnobiology include ethnobotany, ethnomycology, ethnolichenology, ethnozoology (e.g. ethnoentomology, ethnoichthyology, ethnoherpetology, ethnoornithology), ethnoecology, paleoethnobotany, and zooarchaeology. The academic and practical aspects of the sub-field ethnobotany are remarkably apparent in its historical review of human cultural evolution right from gathering, gardening and various levels of ethnomedical practices. It also evaluates plant as a medicine and how it got blended into spiritual uses of various cultures. Many ethnobotanists are therefore interested in researching on the use of traditional "plant medicines" and why they are culturally linked to the spirit world.

The subfield ethnozoology generally focuses on the relationship between animals and humans throughout human history. It therefore studies human practices such as hunting, fishing and animal husbandry in space and time. In all its disciplines, ethnobiology satisfies its anthropological aspect by considering classified cultural and cognitive issues. The biological component is manifested by its eminent focus on historical evolution and utilization of the living resource.

Ethnobiology - is an interdisciplinary subject that focuses on the study of how human societies relate to the biosphere. It is therefore conventionally centred in the use of diverse flora and fauna by indigenous societies. Humans’ interrelationship with plant and animals can be delineated both in space and time. This relationship therefore encompasses human cultures worldwide and it includes the past and the present human interactions with living environment.