The future takes root at the crossroads of classic field research and new technology. Michael Balick, vice president for botanical science research and training at the Garden, said in an interview that accoutrements for field studies can include global positioning satellite receivers, satellite phones, laptop computers, DNA sampling vials, digital video cameras, and, of course, portable solar panels to charge all these gizmos. As he told a collaborator, "Boy, this sure is different from how I started in the Amazon 30 years ago." Time-tested taxonomic techniques dating back beyond Darwin's days are increasingly being augmented by molecular genetics and information technology.
At the symposium Claudio Pinheiro, a professor at the Federal University of Maranhão, talked about his ethnobotanical research in Northern Brazil. His work applies sociology and economics to field studies, thus providing insight into a culture's interdependence with a biodiverse environment. By mingling new scientific findings with the traditional ...
