CONSTRUCTING AFLORA: A DATABASE OF PLANT USE IN AFRICA

Abstract

The AFlora (an abbreviation for "African Flora") project, "A study on the traditional use of plants in Africa, " has been operated by the Center for African Area Studies at Kyoto University since late 1980s. This project has involved many researchers interested in the ethnobotany of tropical Africa. It aims to accumulate the ethnobotanical knowledge on plant use and nomenclature collected by field researchers working in Africa to provide an effective information-retrieval system. Since 1997, the AFlora database has been available to the public as a web-based database. In 2012, the system was updated, and it now relies on the most recent web technology. It currently contains more than 6, 000 records. In this paper, I describe the structure, mode of operation, and benefits offered by this database. I also discuss issues related to the intellectual property rights with respect to ethnobotanical knowledge, which have become serious considerations in recent decades. Means of sharing scientific information are also addressed.