sustainability

Conference to Address Indigenous Ethnobiology and Sustainability

The 31st annual conference of the Society for Ethnobiology will be held at the University of Arkansas April 16-19 in Carnall Hall. Co-sponsored by the Cherokee Nation, the theme of the conference is indigenous ethnobiology and sustainability.

Conference organizer Justin M. Nolan, research assistant professor in the department of anthropology, said, “Many of the 68 speakers will be Native Americans from various tribes. A Thursday evening panel discussion of university scholars and native experts will address the challenges and opportunities for native groups interested in conserving their languages and ecological knowledge systems.”

Nolan led a team in studying how rural plant experts in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma gathered and used local flora for food and medicine. The results will be presented in a keynote session of the conference. 

Registration is open to the public. The cost of registration is $100, which includes two lunches and a dinner.  Those interested in attending can register on site or online at www.ethnobiology.org.