Structure of the
Khon Kaen University Ethnobotany course
Course Organizer:
Gary J. Martin
B.P. 262
Marrakech-Medina
Morocco
Fax +212.4.329544
E-mail gj_martin@compuserve.com
The course took place from 15 –
26 July 1999. There were six hours of
instruction per day, Monday through
Saturday. These were split into two
3-hour sessions per day, a morning
session from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and an
afternoon session from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The morning session typically begin with
a lecture from 9 – 9:45 a.m. on
concepts and theory of ethnobotany,
followed by a relevant video from 9:45
a.m. to about 10:45 a.m. and then a
half-hour small group discussion and
presentation. Just before lunch, there
was a 45-minute slide-illustrated lecture
presentation on plant use categories and
key families in economic botany, with
examples of useful plants from around the
world. After a lunch break of two hours,
there was a lecture from 2 p.m. –
2:45 p.m. on some aspect of
ethnobotanical methodology.
Demonstrations, field exercises and
additional videos were presented from
2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day. As it was
difficult to estimate the time needed for
some field exercises, some afternoon
sessions ran over time.
Schedule
15 July, morning
Lecture: Overview of issues in
ethnobotany, conservation and community
development I
Video: Cry of the forgotten
land
Small group discussion: none
Lecture presentation: Food I. Grains,
beans, pulses and nuts
15 July, afternoon
Lecture: Qualitative methods:
ethnofloristic surveys
Video: (1) Socotra:
Island Of Dragon's Blood, and (2) Ethnobotanical
methods and multiple-use management in
Uganda
Demonstration/Field exercise: Documenting
and using field research techniques
16 July, morning
Lecture: Overview of issues in
ethnobotany, conservation and community
development II
Video: Earth reports (1)
Fate Of The Forest, and (2) Makaya:
Sacred Forest
Small group discussion: none
Lecture presentation: Food II. Tubers
and root crops
16 July afternoon
Lecture: Qualitative methods:
agricultural plots and homegardens
Video: Once There
Was A Forest
Demonstration/Field exercise: Ethnobotanical
data and plant collecting, including GPS
use.
17 July, morning
Lecture: Historical framework of
ethnobotany
Video: Jungle Pharmacy
Small group discussion: (1)
Who is the father of ethnobotany in
Thailand?, (2) What are the main issues
that ethnobotanists should face in
Thailand?
Lecture presentation: Food III.
Fruits and vegetables
17 July, afternoon
Lecture: Quantitative methods: one
hectare plots
Video: Saving the Wooden Rhino
Demonstration/Field exercise: Practical
on analytical techniques I: Freelisting
19 July, morning
Lecture: Coevolutionary framework of
ethnobotany
Video: Ancient
futures
Small group discussion: (1)
Give one example of coevolutionary change
in Thailand; (2) Do you think that
coevolution is like the Buddhist idea of
interdependence?
Lecture presentation: Food IV. Salads
and leaf vegetables
19 July, afternoon
Lecture: Quantitative methods: tree
trails
Video: Sertao (Seeds In The
Drylands)
Demonstration/Field exercise: Practical
on analytical techniques II: Ranking and
matrix comparison
20 July, morning
Lecture: Plant resource pools and
plant systematics
Video: Green Medicines
Small group discussion: (1) In
Thailand, is the diversity of resource
pools (primary, secondary and tertiary)
increasing or decreasing?; (2) In
Thailand, is there a strong effort to
find useful plants in the reserve pool?;
(3) Does the video "Green
Medicines" accurately show the role
of traditional medicine and medicinal
plants in Thailand?
Lecture presentation: Food V.
Spices, condiments and flavorings
20 July, afternoon
Lecture: Ethnobiological
classification: Categorization
Video: First Nations
First
Demonstration/Field exercise: Sorting:
analyzing
ethnobiological categorization
21 July, morning
Lecture: Resource valuation
Video:
Mpingo (The Tree that Makes Music)
Small group discussion: Are
Thailand’s natural resources given
an acceptable value (price) on the world
market?
Lecture presentation: Medicines
21 July, afternoon
Lecture: Ethnobiological
classification: Nomenclature
Video:
Science for Survival
Demonstration/Field
exercise: Taxonomies: Analyzing
patterns in plant naming
22 July, morning
Lecture: Plant conservation issues
Video: Parks or People
Small group discussion: Do
conservation areas in Thailand include
people (like the Mount Kilum project) or
exclude people (like the Korup project)?
Lecture presentation: Construction
and crafts materials
22 July, afternoon
Lecture: Participatory research
methods
Video: (1) Participatory
Research with Women Farmers and (2) Previnoba
and Participative Approach To Rural
Forestry
Demonstration/Field exercise: Analytical
techniques III: Pairwise comparisons
23 July, morning
Lecture: Plant resource use and
sustainability
Video: (1) Future for
Forests and (2) Developing
Stories: Seeds of Plenty, Seeds of Sorrow
Small group discussion: (1)
Give some examples of plant resources
that are overexploited in Thailand, and
explain why they are not sustainable. (2)
Do you think that modern (green
revolution) agriculture or traditional
farming is more sustainable in a
tropical, developing country like
Thailand?
Lecture presentation: Alcoholic
beverages and drugs
23 July, afternoon
Lecture: Plant genetic resource
conservation, agroforestry and
traditional agriculture
Video: Field of Trees
Demonstration/Field exercise: Ethnobotanical
CD-ROMs, Databases and Software
24 July, morning
Lecture: Biological exchanges
Video:
The Healing Forest
Small group discussion: What
important plant resources has Thailand
given to the world? Has the country been
compensated in an adequate way?
Lecture presentation: Ornamentals,
perfumes,
incenses and cosmetics
24 July, afternoon
Demonstration/Field exercise: Writing
up field exercises and botanical
descriptions of economic plants in
English
26 July, morning
Students and Agnes Lee Agama:
Finalization of descriptions of six field
exercises, including data.
Gary J. Martin: Lecture to 3rd
year students and showing of Green
Medicines
26 July, afternoon
Conclusion,
description of examination and evaluation
Demonstration/Field exercise: Ethnobotany
on the Internet: People and Plants Online
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