BOKU scientist awarded to give the Annual Distinguished Ethnobotanist Lecture at Kew Gardens, UK.

Austrian Alpine Ethnobotany: Examples and Trends of the Use and Management of Plant Species in the Austrian Alps Christian R. Vogl currentlya present as Annual Distinguished Ethnobotanist Lecturer at Kew Botanical Garden sponsored by the Anthropology Department of the University of Kent, the Global Diversity Foundation and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Plenary lecture: Jodrell Lecture Theatre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Tuesday 28 October 2008, 17.00 prompt.

The landscape of the Alps is a complex mosaic of forests, alpine meadows, pastures, orchards, arable plots and home gardens, created during centuries of management by local farmers. This talk is based on long-term ethnobotanical fieldwork of The Work Group: Knowledge Systems and Innovations (IfÖL, DNAS, BOKU) about the sustainability of livelihood systems in Alpine villages. Based on examples from Eastern Tyrol it examines the evolution of the Alpine landscape and flora as used by local people, both in the past, and in response to current day economic and environmental changes. Links:

Christian R. Vogl:
http://www.nas.boku.ac.at/christian-vogl.html

Announcement at Kew's webpage:
http://www.kew.org/scihort/ecbot/

28.10.2008