Ethnobiology and Development in Asia - The Belt and Road Initiative

Ethnobiology and Development in Asia: The Belt and Road Initiative offers a groundbreaking perspective on the interplay between traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and biological resources along historical and contemporary trade routes across Asia. Against the backdrop of an interlinked climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crisis, generating robust knowledge that includes local and indigenous perspectives is crucial. This book explores how communities across diverse ecological zones interact with their environment, how species and cultures have moved along the Belt and Road, and how grassroots initiatives are driving sustainable development.
Structured into three key sections - Common species and cultures along the Belt and Road, Flows of species and cultures, and Community-based initiatives - this volume presents a novel interpretation of the Belt and Road Initiative through an ethnobiological lens. From the Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, from ancient silk routes to maritime trading paths, from rural places to urban settings, 49 in-depth chapters document how people have developed sophisticated relationships with local species and ecosystems, creating a rich traditional knowledge of biological and cultural diversity. The book also emphasizes how local communities together with various stakeholders explore vibrant and innovative ways of living in harmony with nature.
Aimed at researchers, policymakers, and the wider public, this book underscores the value of traditional knowledge in global discussions on climate change and biodiversity conservation. It calls for urgent action to respect and protect indigenous knowledge systems and contributes to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)' integrated approach to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through its detailed ethnobiological analysis, this book offers a practical guide for integrating traditional knowledge into mainstream conservation and development strategies, thereby supporting sustainable community development along the Belt and Road.

List of contents

Connecting Lamtang with Lucknow-Lahore and Lhasa through the Cherry Lens.- The Culinary Uses and Commercialization of Rhododendron Flowers in the Food Cultural Landscape of Sino-Himalayan Region and its Environs.- The Power of Local healers and Their Traditional Knowledge of Medicinal Plants: A Case Study from Kachin State, Myanmar.- Maneuvering zutho, a Traditional Fermented Rice Beer of Nagaland, India.- Bio-resources and Conservation Strategies in the Sikkim Himalaya: Past and Present.- Ethnobotanical Knowledge of the Tamang Community in Central Nepal.- Mountain Oases, Farmland Weeds, Traditional Practices, and Livelihoods in Xizang Autonomous Region, China.- Unveiling the Traditional Wisdom of the Cholistan Desert Plants: Desert Healers of Pakistan.- Ethnobotanical Wisdom: Exploring Indigenous Plant Resources of Thal Desert of Pakistan.- An Ethnobotanical Study of Plants Used by Nomadic People in Central Mongolia.- Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Ecological Wisdom in Honghe Hani Rice Terrace System, Southwest China.- Medicinal Plants Used for Postpartum Care by Kayin Ethnic People: A Case Study of Knowledge Erosion for Medicinal Plants in Myanmar.- Exploring Local Knowledge on Using Figs: A Case Study among the Pa-O People of Myanmar.- Health Practices and Traditional uses of Betel (Piper betle L.) in Myanmar.- Bridging Cultures Through Blossoms: The Role of Edible Flowers in Thailand s Ethnobiology.- Chiang Mai Local Plants and Gastronomy: A Symbiotic Relationship.- Ethnic People in Border Areas and Their Traditional Plant Use Knowledge.- Vanishing Treasures: Examining the Decline of Scleria poiformis in Northeastern Thailand.- Indigenous knowledge on plant of Van Kieu ethnic group, Quang Tri province, Vietnam.- Vegetable diversity and nutritional value of some local useful plants of Mnong and Ede Ethnic, Dak Lak province, Vietnam.- An Investigation on the Age-old Therapeutics Practiced by the Muthuvan Tribe of Malappuram District, Kerala, India.- Exploring The Phytochemical Composition and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of the Traditional Herbal Formulation from Muthappan Kavu, Kodangad, Kondotty, Malappuram District, Kerala, India.- Ethnobotanical Studies on Kattunaickan Tribes of Janakikkadu, Kozhikode District, Kerala, India.- Ethnomedicinal Review Study on the Tribes of Wayanad District, Kerala State, India.- Ethnomedicinal Plant Utilization by the Irular Tribe in Attappady, Palakkad District, Kerala, India: A Comprehensive Checklist.- An Ethnobiological Approach for Safeguarding Biodiversity in Palakkad District, Kerala, India.- An Ethnobotanical Exploration of Oil Yielding Medicinal Plants from Chitteri Hills, the Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India.- Development of Ethnobotanical Studies in Indonesia.- Ethnobotany of Traditional Cosmetics in Indonesia.- Unlocking the Potential of Underutilized Fruit Species in Indonesia: Prospects, Challenges, and Conservation Strategies.- Exploring the Botanical Diversity, Cultural Significance, and Conservation of Fruit Plants in Kalimantan.- Traditional Home Remedies of the Karo Ethnic Community: An Ethnobotanical Insight within the Belt and Road Initiative.- Food of Eyebrow: Local Knowledge and Mechanism of Hair Growth Promotion of Isatis tinctoria L. along the Silk Road.- The Potential Distribution and Plant Community Structure of Tea Forests in Guizhou, China.- How a Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Goji Enters the Global Market and Its Benefits for Local Community Development.- Research of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. (Black Goji Berry): Distribution, Economic-ecological interactions, Medicinal Applications and Cultivation.- The Ecology, Cultural and Economic Values of the Prized Matsutake Mushroom in Japan.- Local Collectors Economic Dependence and Management Practices of the Prized Matsutake Mushroom in China.- New Trends in the Consumption and Trade of the Prized Matsutake Mushroom in China.- Java Kapok: Pioneering a New Ecological Sphere for the Belt and Road Cotton Industry.- Medicinal Plant Wealth of Northeastern India: Diversity, Conservation, Trade and Bioprospection for Sustainable Livelihoods.- The Belt and Road with Access and Benefit-Sharing: Theory, Practice, and Potential.- Conservation and livelihood through medicinal plants: a case study from Naxi Communities in Ludian of Yulong County, Northwest Yunnan, China.- Empowering Sustainable Livelihoods and Ethno-ecological Conservation in Nepal's Karnali Region.- Community-based Conservation with Partnership of Ethnobotanical Researchers: A Sustainable Exploration of Piper magen.- Cultural Forest Restoration in a Rubber Plantation Context: A Case study of an Akha Village in Xishuangbanna, China.- Community-based Actions for Climate Change Adaptation: Case study from a Bulang Village in Xishuangbanna, China.- Integrating Ethnobotany and Ecotourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand A Case Study of Tinniyom Group.- Embracing Daily Dose of Nature: The Shanghai Habitat Garden Network.

Summary

Ethnobiology and Development in Asia: The Belt and Road Initiative offers a groundbreaking perspective on the interplay between traditional knowledge, cultural practices, and biological resources along historical and contemporary trade routes across Asia. Against the backdrop of an interlinked climate, biodiversity, and land degradation crisis, generating robust knowledge that includes local and indigenous perspectives is crucial. This book explores how communities across diverse ecological zones interact with their environment, how species and cultures have moved along the Belt and Road, and how grassroots initiatives are driving sustainable development.
Structured into three key sections - Common species and cultures along the Belt and Road, Flows of species and cultures, and Community-based initiatives - this volume presents a novel interpretation of the Belt and Road Initiative through an ethnobiological lens. From the Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests, from ancient silk routes to maritime trading paths, from rural places to urban settings, 49 in-depth chapters document how people have developed sophisticated relationships with local species and ecosystems, creating a rich traditional knowledge of biological and cultural diversity. The book also emphasizes how local communities together with various stakeholders explore vibrant and innovative ways of living in harmony with nature.
Aimed at researchers, policymakers, and the wider public, this book underscores the value of traditional knowledge in global discussions on climate change and biodiversity conservation. It calls for urgent action to respect and protect indigenous knowledge systems and contributes to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)' integrated approach to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Through its detailed ethnobiological analysis, this book offers a practical guide for integrating traditional knowledge into mainstream conservation and development strategies, thereby supporting sustainable community development along the Belt and Road.

Product details

• Assisted by: Karuppusamy Arunachalam (Editor), Rainer W. Bussmann (Editor), Yao Fu (Editor), Prateep Panyadee (Editor), Prateep Panyadee et al (Editor), Sailesh Ranjitkar (Editor), Rainer W Bussmann (Editor), Caroline S. Weckerle (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 10.10.2025
• EAN: 9783031919442
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3191944-2
• No. of pages: 1036
• Illustrations: LXVII, 1036 p. 355 illus., 326 illus. in color.
• Series: Ethnobiology
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Botany; Soziologie, Asien, Kulturwissenschaften, Sustainability, Gesellschaft und Sozialwissenschaften, Medizin, allgemein, Society, Asia, Agrarwissenschaften, Agrarwirtschaft und primärer Sektor, Belt and Road Initiative, Health Sciences, Plant Science, Asian Culture, Agricultural Economics, Biodiversity Conservation, ethnobiology