TRADITIONAL PLANT KNOWLEDGE IN CLIMATE-RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Keywords:
ethnobotany, climate change, sustainable transformation
Abstract
Nature-based tourism is increasingly affected by climate change, creating a need for approaches that support sustainable transformation and local adaptation. Ethnobotanical knowledge, including traditional plant uses, management practices, and cultural meanings, remains an underexplored resource in tourism research. This paper examines the role of ethnobotanical knowledge in enhancing the sustainability and climate resilience of nature-based destinations. Using a conceptual and literature-based approach, the study integrates insights from ethnobotany, tourism studies, and climate change research. Findings suggest that ethnobotanical knowledge can support sustainable tourism by conserving biodiversity, diversifying tourist activities, reinforcing place-based identities, and promoting community participation. Incorporating ethnobotanical knowledge into tourism planning can enhance the adaptive capacity of destinations and contribute to the transformation of tourism systems towards greater resilience and sustainability under changing climatic conditions.
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References
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j.tourman.2019.104017
Balick, M. J., & Cox, P. A. (2020). Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany (2nd ed.). Garland Science. https://doi.org/
10.1201/9781003049074
Ballantyne, R., Packer, J., & Falk, J. (2011). Visitors’ learning for environmental sustainability: Testing short- and long-term impacts of wildlife tourism experiences using structural equation modelling. Tourism Management, 32(6), 1243–1252. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.tourman.2010.11.003
Benu, F., Muskanan, M., King, P., Asa, H., & Wulakada, H. (2020). Community Participation and Sustainable Tourism Development Model in Komodo National Park. Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, 11(2), 250–262. https://doi.org/10.14505//jemt.v11.2(42).03
Berkes, F. (2017). Sacred Ecology (4th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315114644
Dorji, T., Rinchen, K., Morrison-Saunders, A., Blake, D., Banham, V., & Pelden, S. (2024). Understanding How Indigenous Knowledge Contributes to Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience: A Systematic Literature Review. Environmental Management, 74(6), 1101–1123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-024-02032-x
Hosen, N., Nakamura, H., & Hamzah, A. (2019). Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Climate Change Adaptation: The Sa’ban experience. Journal of ASIAN Behavioural Studies, 4(14), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.21834/jabs.v4i14.339
Jarratt, D., & Davies, N. J. (2020). Planning for Climate Change Impacts: Coastal Tourism Destination Resilience Policies. Tourism Planning & Development, 17(4), 423–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/
21568316.2019.1667861
Kohsaka, R., & Rogel, M. (2021). Traditional and local knowledge for sustainable development: Empowering the indigenous and local communities of the world. In W. Leal Filho, A. Marisa Azul, L. Brandli, A. Lange Salvia, & T. Wall (Eds.), Partnerships for the Goals. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95963-4_17
Kumar, A., Kumar, S., Komal, Ramchiary, N., & Singh, P. (2021). Role of Traditional Ethnobotanical Knowledge and Indigenous Communities in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability, 13(6), 3062. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063062
Lijun, L., & Ahmed, E. (2024). The role of local communities in sustainable tourism development. Informative Journal of Management Sciences, 3(3).
Luković, M. (2026). Integrating traditional plant knowledge into nature-based tourism: a case study of the Šumadija region. Etnobotanika, 6, 193–223. https://doi.org/10.46793/EtnBot26.193L
Mandić, A., Beraldo Souza, T., Spenceley, A., Bricker, K., Eagles, P. F. J., Wood, M.,... & Turner, D. (2025). Strengthening sustainable tourism’s role in biodiversity conservation and community resilience (IUCN WCPA Issues Paper Series No. 07). International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Marković Vukadin, I., Zovko, M., Mandić, A., & Zovko, D. (2025). Climate Change, Nature-Based Tourism, and Aging: Assessing Vulnerability and Resilience in Urban and Natural Protected Areas-Semi-Systematic Review. Urban Science, 9(12), 543. https://doi.org/10.3390/
urbansci9120543
Melo Gomes, F., Souza Lobo dos Santos, M. S., Lacerda Ramos, L. O., & Diele Viegas, L. M. (2026). Ethnobotany in science education: A pathway for biology teachers to engage with climate change and local knowledge. Ethnobotany Research and Applications, 34, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.32859/era.34.12.1-13
Panyadee, P., Kamsaw, J., Tansiri, S., Phutthawong, T., Chittasenee, A., & Nanthawan, C. (2026). Integrating ethnobotany and ecotourism in Chiang Mai, Thailand-A case study of Tinniyom Group. In Y. Fu, R. W. Bussmann, P. Panyadee, S. Ranjitkar, C. S. Weckerle, & K. Arunachalam (Eds.), Ethnobiology and Development in Asia. Ethnobiology. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-13573-5_16
Papageorgiou, M. (2025). Spatial Planning for Tourism Destinations Resilient to Climate Change. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010008
Rodríguez, M. A., Angueyra, A., Cleef, A. M., & Van Andel, T. (2018). Ethnobotany of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy-Güicán: climate change and conservation strategies in the Colombian Andes. Journal of Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine, 14, 34. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-018-0227-6
Scott, D., Gossling, S., & Hall, C. M. (2012). International tourism and climate change. WIREs Climate Change, 3, 213–232. https://doi.org/
10.1002/wcc.165
Welling, J., Árnason, Þ., & Ólafsdóttir, R. (2020). Implications of Climate Change on Nature-Based Tourism Demand: A Segmentation Analysis of Glacier Site Visitors in Southeast Iceland. Sustainability, 12(13), 5338. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12135338
Winter, P. L., Selin, S., Cerveny, L., & Bricker, K. (2020). Outdoor Recreation, Nature-Based Tourism, and Sustainability. Sustainability, 12(1), 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010081
Published
2026-10-16
How to Cite
Luković, M. (2026). TRADITIONAL PLANT KNOWLEDGE IN CLIMATE-RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM. Tourism International Scientific Conference Vrnjačka Banja - TISC, 9(1), 48-57. https://doi.org/10.52370/TISC2648ML
Section
Articles
