Conservation Through Community Stewardship

Michael Balick, Ph.D., is Senior Philecology Curator and Vice President and Director of the Center for Plants, People, and Culture. He is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of ethnobotany and the study of the relationship between plants, people, and culture.

Alex McAlvay, Ph.D., Associate Curator in the Center for Plants, People, and Culture, researches human-plant relationships through genomic, ecological, and ethnobotanical approaches. His current projects span the revitalization of traditional cropping systems in Ethiopia and Georgia; the ecology of Pacific Northwest Forest gardens; Shinnecock Nation traditional prescribed burning practices; connections between endangered languages and ethnobotany in Western Mexico; and the evolutionary history of Brassica crops.

Greg Plunkett, Ph.D., is a Senior Curator in the Center for Plants, People, and Culture. He has a strong interest in documenting the biodiversity of Pacific Island plants, having worked in the region for three decades. His interest in untangling relationships between the carrot and ivy families brought him to Vanuatu 23 years ago, and this work has expanded into broader efforts to conserve Vanuatu’s flora and culture.

Douglas C. Daly, Ph.D., is Senior Curator and B. A. Krukoff Curator of Amazonian Botany. His research focuses on tropical tree systematics and Amazonian floristics, particularly in southwestern Brazil. His long-term work links biodiversity research with conservation and sustainable forest management, including partnerships with traditional communities to improve forest stewardship and plant identification.