Ethnobotany

In international negotiations, especially on biodiversity, local ecological knowledge has been often limited to issues relating to indigenousness. Based on the concepts of heritage and the terroir, approaches have been developed in France, thus making it possible to better understand, conserve and exploit ecological knowledge and associated biodiversity. This book presents original contributions about the French experience, written by researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds, by experts and by politicians.

The objective of this background paper is to report on qualitative social sciences frameworks, and mixed methodologies, that could be incorporated into the HDNF assessment tool. Under this primary objective, this report investigates qualitative methodologies aimed at understanding peoples’ own expressions of the value of ecological goods and services derived from nature, including people’s dependency on these goods and services for their livelihood and wellbeing.