Ethnobotany in Belize: Activity Page

Today you will go on a WebQuest to explore ethnobotany, which is the scientific study of how people in particular regions or cultures use the plants in their environment.  While people may use plants for food, construction, religious ceremonies, clothing, and other such uses, most ethnobotanists are particularly interested in how people use plants as treatments for a variety of diseases.  Many scientists hope that the identification of the active ingredients (phytochemicals) in certain plants may provide the opportunity of using these components for the development of new medicines.

Print the questions (reproduced below) on the "Ethnobotany Questions" sheet.  Then, look at the websites below to answer the questions. 

BioBulletin: Success Stories

Ethnobotany in the Forests of Belize

1. After reviewing the above websites, can you write a comprehensive definition for ethnobotany?
2. What are shamans?  How might their knowledge be very beneficial to scientists from outside Belize?
3. Which groups of people are involved in the Belize Ethnobotany Reserve Project?
4. The Surinamese project is trying to identify plants that have ethnobotanical value in developing countries. What is the two-pronged approach of this project?
5. What is "bioprospecting?" How are the International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups addressing this issue?
6. Even though ethnobotany is not unique to Belize, why do you think ethnobotany may play an especially important role in Belize’s future?

Visit the Rainforest Plant Database and select the "Ethnic Uses" tab. Review some of the plants listed in this database.


7. What are five diseases or conditions that the plants in the list are used to treat?

Simarouba glauca Image source


This database (Rainforest Plant Database) includes several plants that are actively used in Belize for ethnobotanical purposes, including:

Amor seco - Desmodium adscendens
Mutamba - Guazuma ulmifolia
Epazote - Chenopodium ambrosioides
Gervão - Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Simarouba - Simarouba amara, S. glauca

8. Select Amor seco (by clicking on the plant name above or by finding it in the database). What are some of the medicinal uses in Belize of this plant?
9. Select Mutamba (by clicking on the plant name above or by finding it in the database). What parts of the plant are used and how is it traditionally prepared for use?

Finally, look at The Ethnobotanical Approach to Drug Discovery , which addresses the need to preserve the special ecosystems and diversity that produce so many plants that are used as ethnobotanicals.

10. What are some of the challenges that Belize and other Central American nations have in protecting its natural resources at this time?
11. One method of identifying plants for potential study is to look for plants that are not actively eaten by herbivores.  Why would this be an important indicator that a plant could have potential as a potential drug source?
12. Describe some of the projects and initiatives that have been undertaken to protect the Belizean resources.  What are some of the consequences if these protections are inadequate?