ethnobotanyR

Quantifying Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Decision-Making and Conservation Modeling

Please remember to cite the ethnobotanyR package if you use it in your publications. Use citation("ethnobotanyR") to get a citation for the latest version.

To cite package 'ethnobotanyR' in publications use:

  Whitney C (2022). _ethnobotanyR: Ethnobotanical Analysis, Decision-Framing, 
  and TEK Modeling_. doi:10.32614/CRAN.package.ethnobotanyR
  <https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.ethnobotanyR>, R package
  version 0.2.0, <https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ethnobotanyR>.

A BibTeX entry for LaTeX users is

  @Manual{,
    title = {ethnobotanyR: Ethnobotanical Analysis, Decision-Framing, and TEK Modeling},
    author = {Cory Whitney},
    year = {2022},
    note = {R package version 0.2.0},
    url = {https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ethnobotanyR},
    doi = {10.32614/CRAN.package.ethnobotanyR},
  }

What This Package Does

ethnobotanyR provides tools to:

• Quantify Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) using standard indices (Use Value, Relative Frequency of Citation, Relative Importance, etc.)
• Model TEK in decision frameworks using Bayesian networks and Monte Carlo sampling
• Design and facilitate decision-framing exercises in conservation and development contexts
• Visualize and communicate TEK distributions and decision-relevant uncertainty to stakeholders
• Disaggregate knowledge by stakeholder type, gender, geography, and other meaningful dimensions

What This Package Does NOT Do

• Make decisions for you. Ethnobotanical indices and models describe what communities know and value; they don't determine conservation strategy or predict outcomes.
• Offer robust proof through indices alone. Standard quantitative ethnobotany indices have well-known scientific limitations. See vignette("honest_ethnobotany") for a critical assessment.
• Replace participatory engagement. Quantification is a tool for making knowledge visible and facilitating dialogue—not a substitute for honest, power-aware conversation about values and tradeoffs.

Choose Your Path

I want to describe what my community knows and uses

Start with: vignette("ethnobotanyr_vignette")

Use cases:

• Calculate Use Value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), and other indices
• Compare knowledge across demographic groups
• Identify patterns in ethnobotanical knowledge
• Important: Read vignette("honest_ethnobotany") first to understand limitations of indices

Key principle: Indices are descriptive tools. Report them with transparency, disaggregate by meaningful groups, and avoid causal claims.

I want to model TEK in decision contexts

Start with: vignette("TEK_modeling_vignette")

Use cases:

• Elicit TEK as probability distributions (Beta, Dirichlet priors)
• Build Bayesian networks that propagate TEK-derived uncertainty
• Run Monte Carlo simulations to explore decision outcomes under uncertainty
• Integrate qualitative knowledge into quantitative decision models

Key principle: This is the robust approach. You're modeling uncertainty, not pretending precision where there is none.

I want to run a participatory decision-framing workshop

Start with: vignette("decision_framing_guide")

Use cases:

• Design multi-stakeholder engagement processes
• Clarify community priorities and surface disagreement
• Create decision spaces that honor multiple values
• Integrate ethnobotanical knowledge into community-led decisions
• Navigate power dynamics and structural constraints honestly

Supporting resources:

• vignette("benin_case_study") - Critical case study of fonio value-chain workshop
• vignette("ethnobotanyr_decision_framing_practical") - How to use ethnobotanyR functions in workshops
• vignette("honest_ethnobotany") - Critical assessment of what ethnobotanical data can and cannot show

Quick Links
Installing ethnobotanyR
ethnobotanyR CRAN Version
Critical Assessment of Ethnobotany Indices
Decision-Framing Framework
Benin Case Study
TEK Modeling with Bayesian Networks
ethnobotanyR Wiki

Installation

Install the released version of ethnobotanyR from CRAN with install.packages("ethnobotanyR").

Install the working version of ethnobotanyR from GitHub with devtools::install_github("CWWhitney/ethnobotanyR").

References

Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino, Patricia Muniz de Medeiros, Washington Soares Ferreira Junior, Taline Cristina da Silva, Rafael Ricardo Vasconcelos da Silva, and Thiago Goncalves-Souza. 2019. Social-Ecological Theory of Maximization: Basic Concepts and Two Initial Models. Biological Theory. doi.org/10.1007/s13752-019-00316-8.

Tardio, J., and M. Pardo-de-Santayana, 2008. Cultural Importance Indices: A Comparative Analysis Based on the Useful Wild Plants of Southern Cantabria (Northern Spain) 1. Economic Botany, 62(1), 24-39. doi.org/10.1007/s12231-007-9004-5.

Whitney, C. W., Bahati, J., and Gebauer, J. (2018), Ethnobotany and agrobiodiversity; valuation of plants in the homegardens of southwestern Uganda. Ethnobiology Letters, 9(2), 90-100. doi.org/10.14237/ebl.9.2.2018.503.

Whitney C (2022). ethnobotanyR: Ethnobotanical Analysis, Decision-Framing, and TEK Modeling. R package version 0.2.0, https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=ethnobotanyR.