Ethnobotany is an area of research in which the Emberá of Panama are engaged. They have partnered with biologist and CICADA collaborator Catherine Potvin on local Emberá knowledge on plant resources. Potvin explains that combining local knowledge with ethnobotanical research is important for determining conservation priorities and initiating conservation action.

“Ethnobotany, by focusing on the knowledge, use, and management of plants by people, can provide an understanding of the nature of management problems and the potential for conservation on local territories.”

—Conservation of Useful Plants: An Evaluation of Local Priorities from Two Indigenous Communities in Eastern Panama (2004), Catherine Potvin