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Home > People > Graduate Students > Laura Weiss
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Laura Weiss MS Student Ethnobotany Track Contact Information University of Hawai`i at Manoa Affiliations |
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Thesis Title: Ecological and Social Impacts of Colophospermum mopane Seed Sourcing in Namibia Personal Statement: My interests include ethnoecology (how humans and ecosystems reciprocally impact each other), ecological and cultural conservation, sustainable living, herbal medicine and holistic healing, phytochemistry, organic gardening, and education. I currently research ecological and social impacts of the proposed harvest of the seeds of Colophospermum mopane, a woody legume species endemic to southern Africa, as well as its uses and potential marketable products. My study explores and documents factors affecting phenology, frequency of reproduction, seed predators and dispersers, harvest rates to determine fair prices to pay for seeds, and traditional ecological knowledge and intellectual property in Namibia. This information will be used in the construction of an ongoing adaptive management plan for this resource integral to the lives of rural people and animals in southern Africa. This project is expected to build local capacity in the form of production facilities, empower the local Owambo women's cooperative, and generate income for conservancy programs, educational programs, and rural citizens across southern Africa facing development and associated integration into a cash economy. Awards:
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