Towards a forward-looking ethnobiology: envisioning and co-creating biocultural futures

Abstract

In the face of accelerating environmental and socio-political changes, there is value in expanding the temporal scope of ethnobiology to more actively engage with the future. This perspective explores the potential of a forward-looking ethnobiology that incorporates methods from Futures Studies to co-envision and co-produce sustainable biocultural futures in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities. We highlight different methods and tools that can be repurposed to create inclusive, transdisciplinary spaces for community-led imagination, experimentation, and learning. By embedding futures thinking into the fabric of ethnobiological practice, the discipline can further enrich its longstanding role in fostering biocultural resilience. We argue that the time has come not only to imagine the future of ethnobiology, but to actively co-create it through culturally grounded, future-oriented, and ethically engaged methodologies. This shift repositions ethnobiology as a central force in advancing just and sustainable pathways.