Ethnobotanical Knowledge Transmission and Evolution: The Case of Medicinal Markets in Tanga,Tanzania1

Ethnobotanical Knowledge Transmission and Evolution: The Case of Medicinal Markets in Tanga, Tanzania. This paper explores the range and distribution of local ecological knowledge (LEK) of popular medicinal plants by means of a case study in the medicinal markets of Tanga, Tanzania. Seventy–four medicinal plant harvesters, healers, and vendors were surveyed to test if knowledge differed based on their role in the market system, age, years of experience, and level of formal education. These results diverge from previous studies that explain variation in plant knowledge based on sociodemographic variables. It also questions the assumption that markets inevitably erode local or traditional knowledge. This study contributes to an understanding of the dynamics of ethnobotanical knowledge transmission and evolution by showing how particular contexts, in this case medicinal plant markets, can influence this process.