Soc Sci Med. 1995 Feb; 40(3): 321-9.

Ecology and ethnomedicine: exploring links between current environmental crisis and indigenous medical practices.

Anyinam C.

Department of Geography, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The paper seeks to examine links between ecosystems and the practice of ethnomedicine. The objective is to discuss the interrelationships between the current ecological crisis and the changes occurring in the practice of ethnomedicine. The paper first explores the extent to which ethnomedicine depends on the natural environment. This is followed by a discussion of the impact that ecological degradation and destruction has had on ethnomedical practices. The rest of the paper is devoted to an examination of how the practice of ethnomedicine contributes, on the one hand, to ecological degradation and, on the other hand, to ecological conservation and preservation.