A new set of tools for Ethnobiologist in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article will develop a series of ideas for ethnobiologists to consider in their professional field fromnow on. One of the things we have most learned about indigenous communities is the importance ofbeing committed to maintaining the networks of life and the protection of diversity. Considering thewarnings given by indigenous groups regarding past and future imbalances of Nature, what will happento ethnobiological work in the future, and is what we do really necessary? What lines of action, conflict,alliances and controversies lie ahead of us? The so-called new normality urges us to make changes inour discipline, and therefore we should be able to count on a new box of tools. In a metaphorical sense,I will call these tools a set of premises that should never be lacking in the future; we must be alertto the signs of change, the omens and the previous experiences of local communities. These pandemictimes have prioritized the voices of “experts”, who impose hegemonic scientific systems as if they werethe only option. The critical role of indigenous peoples as guardians of the world’s lands and forestsshould be most recognized. Indigenous peoples are neither heard nor valued, even though they are someof the worst affected by this pandemic, being subject to large-scale ethnocide at this moment. Ourchallenge as ethnobiologists should be to build bridges and be agents of change, so that multiculturalityand interculturality can be made visible and promoted.