Use of ecological methods in ethnobotany: Diversity indices
Economic Botany
1996
Journal Article
50
3
280-289
diversity diversity indices ethnobotany island biogeography quantitative ethnobotany medicinal plants useful plants Reserva Nacional Tambopata Brazil niches anthropology large spatial scales non-timber forest products Madre de Dios Bibliography
The application of ecological concepts to ethnobotanical studies, in particular of diversity, is analyzed. Diversity indices are important tools that may help in understanding human-environment interactions. Those indices allow comparisons on the use of plants by different populations in different environments. A review on recent major ethnobotanical journals was carried out, and 10 studies (seven from Latin America, two from Asia and one from Europe) were selected based on available data to calculate diversity indices. The Shannon-Wiener indices and rarefaction curves were obtained. High diversity on plant uses were found for studies carried out at Peru, Mexico, Brazil and Thailand. A low diversity was found for Tonga, and island biogeography theory is used to discuss these results. Sampling effort is evaluated through rarefaction curves. The estimation of the diversity of resources used by native populations may be useful when planning conservation areas and their management.