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Abstract This opinion piece, written by ethnobiologists from different parts of the world, emphasizes the importance of ethnobiology research in advancing contemporary biology, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and, especially, contributing to the ecological transition and more just and inclusive world. To achieve these goals, it is essential to develop research and collaborate with social groups that live in close relationship with nature in research activities, such as Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC), as well as Afro-descendants and other Marginalized, Minority or Minoritized Communities (AMMC). Ethnobiology can identify and provide locally appropriate solutions to local problems, enabling sustainable resource management at the landscape level. The text explores important aspects that need to be considered to guide the future of ethnobiology in the next 20 years, aiming to integrate and amplify previous discussions held in the discipline and identify points that demand ongoing attention. This paper highlights reflections from diverse researchers, emphasizing how ethnobiology can embrace different perspectives and employ rigorous analysis of complex phenomena toward effective policies and practices. This approach holds the potential to address the challenges the planet is currently facing in the coming decades.

Abstract Background The huillín (Lontra provocax, Thomas 1908) is an otter, endemic to southern Argentina and Chile. It is in danger of extinction. In the Nahuel Huapi National Park and surroundings is the only freshwater, known and stable population of huillín in Argentina. In this park, several urban and rural centers coexist with this species. The main objective of our work was to answer: How does the local zoological knowledge (LZK) vary about the huillín, particularly its identification and sighting, among people from different social groups, with different ages and gender, who live in the rural or urban environment and with different periods of permanence in the place? Methods Ninety-six written interviews were conducted using visual stimuli to ensure that interviewees refer to the huillín. In addition, we also inquire about the LZK of other species with which it can be confused. Additional open interviews were conducted with participants who observed the huillín to determine the georeferencing of the reported sites and include them on a final map. Results 95% of people identified the huillín and this was confused with the coipo in 3% and with the american mink, in 5%. The results show that, in general, the LZK did not vary significantly with the sociocultural characteristics of the participants, showing a remarkable homogeneity. However, people in rural areas are more likely to observe the species than people in urban areas. Moreover, people between 20 and 40 years of age are more likely to observe the huillín. The LZK mapping has identified areas that are consistent with and/or adjacent to official source records. Other areas have also been identified that may provide new information. Conclusion With this participatory work, we realize that the species is recognized by urban and rural inhabitants and very few confused it. The homogeneity in the LZK found constitutes a kick for the realization of other participatory studies that promote lines of research, action and management that improve the quality of the environments where the only freshwater, known and stable population of the huillín in Argentina lives.

Abstract Background In the present study we have investigated the cultural transmission of two types of traditional plant knowledge in two communities of North-western Patagonia, Argentina. In the Pilcaniyeu community, we studied the transmission of traditional knowledge related to horticultural practices in home-gardens, greenhouses and gardens; while in the community of Cuyin Manzano, we studied wild plant gathering customs. Methods Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted by means of semi-structured interviews, in which we investigated which plants are used, at what life history phase was learned, modes of transmission and who the principal transmitters were in childhood and adulthood. In both communities, each of this three aspects related to cultural transmission were categorized and the frequencies of each category were obtained. The total number of species recorded in each community was also calculated. Frequencies were analyzed with the Chi-square test of independence. Results and discussion In both communities, transmission of traditional plant knowledge begins at an early age, as a family custom, in which women play a predominant role. Wild plant use and horticultural knowledge continue to be learned during adulthood. This was particularly registered associated with horticultural learning, which receives greater influence from extension agents who are introducing new practices and technology. This outside influence, which implies novelty, could imply syncretism but also traditional knowledge loss. Conclusion Given the remarkable acculturation processes occurring at present in rural communities of Northwestern Patagonia, it might be of vital importance to document traditional knowledge of ancient practices. Moreover, it could be interesting to share our results with both populations in order to encourage participatory activities within the communities which could enhance traditional knowledge horizontal transmission, particularly among elder adults and youngsters.

The frequent use of an industrial dye such as malachite green (MG) has caused major water body deterioration and is one of the most pressing global challenges, demanding effective treatment techniques. To solve these issues, a simplistic method was developed to synthesize zinc-tungstate (ZnWO4) nanoparticles and also dope the surface matrix of the ZnWO4 nanoparticles using nonmetals of boron (B), carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) at different ratios for enhanced MG removal from wastewater. The prepared nanomaterials were characterized by different methods for crystal structure composition, surface properties, surface morphology, microstructures, functional groups, and elemental oxidation states. The BET analysis revealed a mesoporous structure with surface areas of 30.740 m2/g for ZnWO4, 38.513 m2/g for ZnWO4@BCN, 37.368 m2/g for ZnWO4@BCN/B, 39.325 m2/g for ZnWO4@BCN/C, and 45.436 m2/g for ZnWO4@BCN/N nanocomposites. The best removal of MG was accomplished at pH (8), contact period (50 min), nanoadsorbent dose (0.8 g/L), initial MG concentration (20 mg/L), and temperature (303 K). The maximum adsorption capacities of ZnWO4 and ZnWO4@BCN/N towards MG were 218.645 and 251.758 mg/g, respectively. At equilibrium, the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were the best fits for the experimental data of MG adsorption on both nanoadsorbents. After eight cycles of adsorption and desorption, both ZnWO4 and ZnWO4@BCN/N were found to be good at removing MG, with efficiencies of 71.00 and 74.20%, respectively. Thermodynamic investigations further validated the spontaneity and endothermic nature of the adsorption process. All study findings confirm the nanoadsorbents exceptional capability and economic feasibility for removing MG dye.

Fe de Errata Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 57(3): 1-22. 2022. ttps://doi.org/10.31055/1851.2372.v57.n3.37329 Las etnoespecies comercializadas en la feria de agricultores de Bariloche (Rio Negro, Argentina) y su versatilidad en alimentos locales: Contribuciones hacia la soberanía alimentaria local. The ethnospecies traded in the Bariloche farmers’ fair (Rio Negro, Argentina) and their versatility in local foods: Contributions towards local food sovereignty Melisa S. Longo Blasón, Soledad Molares & Ana H. Ladio En la página 339, figura 2, los créditos de las fotos C y D, corresponden Luciana Laborda.

Introducción y objetivos: Las ferias hortícolas urbanas constituyen emplazamientos importantes para la soberanía alimentaria (SA) de una ciudad. La riqueza de etnoespecies y alimentos locales comercializados reflejan su dinamismo. La versatilidad utilitaria (VU) representada por las diferentes preparaciones culinarias, constituye un aspecto importante de la SA. Se relevó y caracterizó la riqueza de las etnoespecies, alimentos locales y partes vegetales comercializados en la Feria Franca de Agricultores de Bariloche. Las predicciones proponen que la mayor riqueza de etnoespecies son de origen exótico, y que a mayor VU (en alimentos locales) mayor es la importancia cultural de las etnoespecies. M&M: Se realizó un seguimiento etnobotánico tipo checklist de todas las etnoespecies y los alimentos locales vendidos en la temporada 2019. Se complementó con registros fotográficos y enlistados libres. Se estimó la VU de cada cultivo, y se analizó la relación entre el consenso de uso (CU) y la VU de las etnoespecies ofrecidas mediante MLG. Resultados: Se registró un total de 186 etnoespecies y 315 alimentos locales. Las etnoespecies más consensuadas fueron Petroselinum crispum (65%), Beta vulgaris var. cicla (55%), Rubus idaeus (50%) y el hongo exótico Suillus sp. Encontramos que las etnoespecies con mayor CU poseen mayor VU. Conclusiones: Las alternativas de uso alimentario que ofrecen las etnoespecies es un elemento clave para los agricultores como reaseguro de venta, pero principalmente como un elemento que da visibilidad a las plantas locales a través de preparaciones caseras. Los alimentos locales son legados bioculturales que reflejan tradiciones, pero también innovaciones.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are recalcitrant chemicals with stable carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds. These complex substances are difficult to degrade; therefore, they persist in the environment, causing potential health effects on humans. This study focused on the photocatalytic degradation and defluorination of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in aqueous water using TiO2 nanoparticles under UV–visible light. The biosynthesized TiO2 catalysts at pH 8, 10, and 12 were characterized using XRD, HRTEM, and HRSEM. The XRD patterns of the respective TiO2 nanoparticles at different synthesized pHs exhibited similar anatase phases, and it was observed that the crystallite sizes decreased with increasing pH. The HRSEM and HRTEM confirmed the spherical shapes of the produced nanoparticles with particle size distributions of 12.17 nm, 10.65 nm, and 8.81 nm for the synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles at pH 8, 10, and 12, respectively. The photodegradation and defluorination of PFOS were performed at various initial solution pH values of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 under UV irradiation for 150 min. The study showed 95.62 and 56.13% degradation and defluorination efficiency at pH 2. The degradation and defluorination efficiencies significantly decreased as the pH of the solution increased; hence, the degradation increases at lower solution pHs. Without UV–visible light, the photocatalysis achieved a lower degradation and defluorination efficiency. The photocatalysis showed that the pH of the solution and UV irradiation greatly influence the degradation and defluorination. Therefore, TiO2 nanoparticles were effective for the degradation and defluorination of PFOS under UV–visible light, which could also have an influence on the treatment of other PFASs in wastewater.

Progress toward the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is insufficient at a global scale. A thorough and interdisciplinary understanding of barriers and levers to sustainability, including synergies and trade-offs between SDGs, is utterly important but still limited. Ethnobiology is often advocated as a key discipline to address this research gap. We conducted a systematic literature review to explore (i) the visibility of ethnobiology within sustainability science, (ii) how ethnobiology understands the notion of sustainability, (iii) if ethnobiology literature on sustainability issues engages differently with nonacademic knowledge and people compared to other types of ethnobiology research, and (iv) which SDGs are addressed (explicitly or implicitly) by ethnobiology. Our study reveals a minimal overlap between sustainability science and ethnobiology literature. The articles reviewed never mention the SDGs explicitly, but often address them implicitly. Reviewed ethnobiological articles addressed themes of relevance to almost all SDGs, especially the linkages between SDGs 1–3 and 15, but always implicitly. Biodiversity's understanding (SDG 15) provides the basis for culture and Indigenous and local knowledge and ensures communities' food security (SDG 2), health and well-being (SDG 3), and prosperity (SDG 1). We found that ethnobiology does not examine sustainability through the lens of the global sustainability agenda, and that knowledge coproduction processes are rarely reported. While ethnobiology demonstrates its relevance to address SDGs and contribute to transformative change, this potential is not fully realized because of a persisting decoupling between place-based research and global sustainability frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monoclinic wolframite-phase structure of ZnWO4 materials has been frequently synthesised, characterised, and applied in optical fibres, environmental decontamination, electrochemistry, photonics, catalysis, and not limited to magnetic applications. However, the problems of crystal growth conditions and mechanisms, growth, the crystal quality, stability, and the role of synthesis parameters of ZnWO4 nanoparticles remain a challenge limiting its commercial applications. This review presents recent advances of ZnWO4 as an advanced multi-functional material for Industrial wastewater treatment. The review also examines the influence of the synthesis parameters on the properties of ZnWO4 and provides insight into new perspectives on ZnWO4-based photocatalyst. Many researches have shown significant improvement in the efficiency of ZnWO4 by mixing with polymers and doping with metals, nonmetals, and other nanoparticles. The review also provides information on the mechanism of doping ZnWO4 with metals, non-metals, metalloids, metals oxides, and polymers based on different synthesis methods for bandgap reduction and extension of its photocatalytic activity to the visible region. The doped ZnWO4 photocatalyst was a more effective and environmentally friendly material for removing organic and inorganic contaminants in industrial wastewater than ordinary ZnWO4 nanocrystalline under suitable growth conditions.

The Patagonian steppe is a refuge for several indigenous peoples who live in relatively isolated communities, depending heavily on natural resources for their activities, health, and food security. The local ecological knowledge is a reservoir that generates full wellbeing and for which it must be the object of protection and local development. In this study, we aimed to find which factors can influence local ecological knowledge from a metacommunity on the Patagonian steppe. We analyzed variation in knowledge about cultivated and gathered plants used as medicinal, edible, and firewood according to multiple factors widely discussed in the ethnobiological literature: age, gender, formal education, occupation, indigenous identity, contact with urban centers, use of biomedicine, hunting, and handcrafted textile production. We conducted semi-structured interviews with local experts, accessed by the snowball technique. We found that formal education is a key factor in the variation of local ecological knowledge among people. In addition, we found that knowledge varies between people who practice activities inside and outside the home, concentrating knowledge between cultivated and gathered plants, respectively. Our urbanization proxies did not point to an influence of this factor on local knowledge, but specialists living in a larger community with signs of internal urbanization processes had much less knowledge. Our results allowed us to visualize the importance of studying metacommunities as a whole, to verify complexities and intersections of overlapping factors. Studies in metacommunities open up a range of possibilities for ethnobiological analysis.

Abstract Background This study aimed to investigate the local botanical knowledge of native food plants in three rural communities, located in the semiarid region of Paraíba State, Brazil, verifying possibilities of differences of knowledge among communities and between men and women. Methods Semi-structured interviews about native plant knowledge and use were conducted with all householders in each community, totaling 117 informants. The species similarity among the communities of Pau D’Arco, Várzea Alegre, and Barroquinha was compared with Jaccard index, and the use value index (UVgeneral, UVcurrent, UVpotential) was used to determine the most important species. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the use values among communities and genders. The consensus factor among the informants was calculated according to the uses cited, and the Wilcoxon test was used to compare the use values between men and women. Results We recorded 9 species belonging to 8 genera and 8 families in Várzea Alegre; 10 species, 9 genera, and 9 families in Barroquinha; and 7 species, 7 genera and 7 families in Pau D’Arco. Spondias tuberosa Arruda (Anacardiaceae) in Várzea Alegre, Spondias sp. (Anacardiaceae) in Barroquinha, and Ximenia americana L. (Olacaceae) in Pau D’Arco were the most prominent species. Preparation methods are slightly different in the three communities, and there is low similarity about species use among the communities. Regarding gender, the analysis of use value among the communities evidenced significant differences only for UVgeneral among women, specifically between Barroquinha and Pau D’Arco. For men and women within each community, there is a difference only for UVpotential in Barroquinha. Conclusion This study showed that the residents of the three rural communities have limited knowledge of native food plants found in their communities, but they know where to find them, which parts they may use and how to consume them. The fact is that men know plants that are more distant from the residences and women know those that are next to them.

Many of the species used in family farming systems (FFS) in Patagonia belong to the group known as neglected and underutilized species (NUS), which promote biocultural diversity and contribute to food sovereignty. Due to the scarce attention paid to NUS by agronomic sciences, little is known about their biotic pollination, although it is a well-studied aspect for commercially important plants. We evaluate the contribution of animal pollination to NUS managed by Patagonian FFS. We present a literature review of the NUS used and aspects related to their pollination and floral visitors, for which 725 papers were reviewed. FFS use 426 NUS (414 angiosperms, 10 gymnosperms and 2 ferns). Most NUS (86.7%) depend to some extent on animal pollination, either for the production of fruits or seeds that are harvested for consumption (direct dependence, 35%) or for obtaining seeds (indirect dependence, 65%), which in many cases are necessary for reseeding. Gathering and cultivation are the most common management practices for these species. Hymenoptera and Diptera are the animals that contribute most to NUS biotic pollination. Our results show that animal pollination is a key contribution of nature to sustain cultural aspects and food sovereignty of FFS in Patagonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]