A description is given of the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK. The Project’s purpose is to demonstrate the importance of plants to people and to promote sustainable use of plant resources. Located in a former china clay quarry, the Project has restored the landscape and built two indoor biomes under large geodesic structures: a five acre rainforest and a one acre warm temperate biome. The plantings are heavily focussed on useful plants of economic and ethnobotanical interest. The stories of many plants are also interpreted through a wide range of contemporary works of art. Eden has developed a dynamic education program at all levels from schools to Ph.D. and for adults. It has also built up a small science program with partnerships with various organisations especially in the developing world. The Project is not a conventional botanic garden, but rather a showcase for economic botany and ethnobotany. It has received two million visitors during its first year of operation.

A questionnaire was used to measure plant use knowledge for 18 plants from 40 randomly selected Winikina Warao respondents of two villages in the Orinoco River Delta, Venezuela. Five use values are presented: reported use (RU) value for each plant and plant part; plant part value (PPV); specific use (SU) value; intraspecific use value (IUV); and overall use value (OUV). The overall use value can be used to target plants of potential interest to researchers. Although certain precautions must be taken when undertaking this type of study, questionnaires are important tools that can be used to assess the dynamic interplay between people and the plants they use.

Weekly markets in tribal areas are an important socioeconomic institution. Surveys were conducted during 1997–1999 in over one dozen rural markets in Surguja in the State of Madhya Pradesh in the central region of India. Tribals bring products of at least 30 species to these markets for sale. Traders from towns come to these markets to purchase forest produce; others set up small shops for selling consumer goods such as ready-made clothes, toiletries, utensils, stationery, some plastic goods, match boxes, and some cereals and tobacco.

Palm wine tapped from Elaeis guineensis provides high incomes to certain groups such as Limba tribe members and women while creating social networks among tappers, traders, and retail vendors. Income levels from palm-wine tapping were several-fold higher than the minimum daily wage in Sierra Leone during 1998. Gender differences were particularly important in the marketing of palm wine, with women dominating the retail sector whereas men served as producers and middleman. An estimated 90% of palm wine middlemen are males, whereas kiosk vendors are mostly females. A formalized gift-giving culture has developed to ensure the continuous flow of palm wine from tapper to consumer.

Southern Nigeria represents one of the richest zones of vegetational wealth of Nigeria. The land surface is dominated by plants under 200 m.a.s.1. Folk utilization of pteridophytes by the southern Nigerians was studied. The results of this survey display an interesting diversity and distribution of ferns and fern-allied plants used as medicines, food, cosmetics, and manure in southern Nigeria. The data were compiled from frequent field trips conducted in 40 local government areas (LGAs). A total of 36 plant species belonging to 22 families were identified. Plant specimens and information were collected directly from the local inhabitants in villages and peri-urban towns. Our literature survey showed little or no documentation of ethnobotanical studies on pteridophytes of this region. Therefore, the present communication serves to bridge the gap. Thus, these pteridophytes could provide a vital source for healthcare and economic revenue after appropriate pharmacological analysis by patents.

For Australian Aboriginal people plant resins have played an important role in both trade and the manufacture of hafted tools. In particular, the resins of the Xanthorrhoea species were widely distributed and favored resources. The aim of this pilot study was to: (1) determine if starch grains were present in all of the Xanthorrhoea resin samples examined, and (2) determine the feasibility of discriminating between resins of different Xanthorrhoea species by the morphological attributes of their starch grains. The results established that starch grains were present within all of the Xanthorrhoea species resins that were examined. Moreover, for the purpose of identifying resins from within this genus the preliminary results suggest that starch grains have sufficient differences in attributes to allow discrimination between species. The results suggest that further research into the morphological attributes of starch grains in resins may prove to be an efficient and cost-effective means by which species identification could be achieved for small portions of archaeological resin samples.

When subjected to fungal attack, Aquilaria spp. (Thymelaeaceae) produce a fragrant resin that is traded internationally as gaharu. Socioeconomic aspects of the gaharu trade were investigated via interviews with collectors and local and international traders. In addition, the extent of local and international trade was evaluated by reference to official government statistics. Evidence that gaharu resources are declining was obtained from the personal experience of gaharu collectors, and official statistics relating to the declining number of gaharu export companies in operation. Traders also reported that the main source of gaharu has recently switched from Sumatra and Kalimantan to sources in eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Irian Jaya), a finding supported by official statistics. Disparities recorded between official figures for the price and volume of gaharu in local and international trade, supported by comments made by export traders, indicate that a high proportion of the more valuable, high-grade gaharu is traded illegally by personal transaction. Interviews with gaharu collectors indicated that traditional approaches to harvesting are declining, as more nonlocal people become involved in collection, leading to more intensive harvesting practices. Together, these findings suggest that the current Indonesian trade in gaharu is not sustainable.