Research

Certain plant species are known to be of critical importance to local livelihoods and subsistence strategies used by cultural communities worldwide.

My current research  focuses on understanding the cultural importance and irreplaceability of medicinal plants among Shipibo-Konibo groups of the Ucayali River. In addition, my research seeks to identify culturally important plants that experience high levels of use and high frequency of harvest.

Given that many culturally important plants have gained global attention as a result of reports of them being used as effective treatments in the context of ethnomedicine, my research also aims to understand the effect of medicinal plant harvest on social and ecological systems.

Understanding both the short and long-term effects of harvest on species populations of culturally important medicinal plants is critical to developing sustainable harvest practices.  Therefore, part of my research aims to help develop an understanding of sustainable harvest practices that can be used by cultural communities.