🎧 Conservation of Useful Plants in Colombia with Laura Kor
Perceptions matter when it comes to conservation!
Human perceptions of plants matter in conservation! This week on the Foodie Pharmacology podcast, I spoke with an expert on the concept of “sustainability-through-use,” which is important to designing conservation programs that consider the needs and priorities of local communities. Laura Kor is a PhD candidate at King’s College London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Her research focuses on the conservation of useful plants in Colombia—species with reported human uses ranging from food and medicine to spiritual and cultural values.
About Laura
Laura Kor is a PhD candidate at King’s College London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Her research focuses on the conservation of useful plants in Colombia – species with reported human uses ranging from food and medicine to spiritual and cultural values. Following a BSc in Biology and MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, Laura directed her career to biodiversity conservation at the interface between social and ecological systems. Her experience spans NGOs, research organisations, and industry where she has primarily worked on projects in the UK and Latin America. This includes investigating ecosystem services on farmland, researching drivers of wildlife trade, and assessing ecological impacts of planned infrastructure ranging from transport to renewable energy.
Now in the final year of her PhD, supervised by Dr Mauricio Diazgranados, Professor Terry Dawson, and Professor Katherine Homewood, she has been studying the concept of “sustainability-through-use” and applying the Important Plant Area (IPA) approach to identify the best sites to conserve useful plants in Colombia – one of the most bioculturally diverse countries on earth. This contributes to the Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia (UPFC) Project and Laura is funded through a studentship from the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council.
You can access Laura’s research articles on her Google Scholar page or follow her on Twitter at laurabkor
Listen to the interview
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Watch the video
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Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.
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