We seek panelists to contribute to a discussion of ethics in ethnobiology.  The 
discussion will take place during the Society of Ethnobiology annual meeting 
16-19 March, 2016 in Tucson, Arizona.  You can read through the session 
abstract below.  Please contact Cissy Fowler 
([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>) if you would like to 
participate.


Ethnobiology Ethics Lab (eeLab)

The eeLab brings together our community of ethnobiologists to discuss today's 
ethical issues.  A goal of

the eeLab is to produce a set of codes that will form the foundation for a 
multi-year review and update

of the Society of Ethnobiology's code of ethics.  The eeLab is organized in the 
spirit of learning with and

listening to the Society's members so that we can construct a participatory and 
collaborative set of

governing principles.

Ethnobiologists continuously face ethics problems and make ethics choices in 
the course of our work.

Ethnobiologists confront ethics issues when designing research projects, 
obtaining research permits,

securing funding, conducting fieldwork, interacting with our collaborators and 
members of surrounding

communities, as well as while doing document-based research, and translating 
our research for

scholarly and general audiences.  Among the potential issues panelists may 
discuss are: collaborative

ethnobiology; biodiversity legislation (e.g., in Brazil), protection, and/or 
degradation; Indigenous

languages; climate change and/or politics and governance; research visas and 
permits (e.g., in Indonesia

or Native American nations); variations in ethics depending on cultural 
context; open access publishing;

ethnobiology research methods; visual representations (satellite images, 
drones, from social media);

bioethics; classroom teaching; field training; collaborative knowledge 
production; risky environmental

management strategies (e.g., prescribed burning, species introductions); 
multispecies involvements;

intervention in local environmental management when the environment is being 
severely degraded; the

ethics of archaeologists' relationships with Indigenous communities; the 
Society's current Ethics Code;

and sovereignty.

Panelists are invited to propose other topics not listed here.  The eeLab and 
discussion questions will be

designed around panelists' expertise. The format for the ethics session will 
begin with opening

statements from the panelists and will continue with a group discussion among 
panelists and the

audience focused around several key questions.



Cynthia Fowler
Associate Professor, Wofford College<http://www.wofford.edu/>
President Elect, Society of Ethnobiology<http://ethnobiology.org/>
429 North Church Street
Spartanburg, SC 29303
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
864-597-4698

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