The current status of ethnobiological research in Latin America: gaps and perspectives

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Rômulo Romeu Nóbrega Alves²  Taline Cristina Silva¹  Rosemary Silva Sousa¹  Juliana Loureiro Almeida Campos¹  Josivan Soares Silva¹  Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque¹ 

[1] Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Etnobiologia Aplicada e Teórica (LEA), Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife/PE CEP: 52171-900, Brazil;Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Av. das Baraúnas, 351/Campus Universitário, Bodocongó, Campina Grande-PB 58109-753, Brazil

关键词: Scientometrics;    Ethnozoology;    Ethnoveterinary;    Ethnopharmacology;    Ethnomedicine;    Ethnobotany;   

Others  :  862073
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-4269-9-72

 received in 2013-03-30, accepted in 2013-08-27,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

Recent reviews have demonstrated an increase in the number of papers on ethnobiology in Latin America. Among factors that have influenced this increase are the biological and cultural diversity of these countries and the general scientific situation in some countries. This study aims to assess the panorama of ethnobiological research in Latin America by analyzing its evolution, trends, and future prospects.

Methods

To conduct this study, we searched for papers in the Scopus (http://www.scopus.com webcite) and Web of Science (http://www.isiknowledge.com webcite) databases. The search was performed using combinations of keywords and the name of each Latin American country. The following countries were included in this study: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and Uruguay.

Results and conclusions

According to our inclusion criteria, 679 ethnobiological studies conducted in Latin America were found for the period between 1963 and 2012. Of these studies, 289 (41%) were conducted in Brazil, 153 in Mexico (22%), 61 in Peru (9%), 58 in Argentina (8%), 45 in Bolivia (6%), and 97 (14%) in other Latin American countries. The increased number of publications related to this area of knowledge in recent years demonstrates the remarkable growth of ethnobiology as a science. Ethnobiological research may be stimulated by an increase in the number of scientific events and journals for study dissemination and by the creation of undergraduate courses and graduate programs to train ethnoscientists who will produce high-quality studies, especially in certain countries.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Albuquerque et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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