Ethnobotanical Center
THE ETANG DE VIRELLES ETHNOBOTANY CENTER IS A SPACE DEDICATED TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PLANTS.
Local surveys and research, training and internships, visits to the Garden of St. John’s Wort and access to a library specializing in ethnobotany are the many activities offered by the Center throughout the seasons.
THE ETHNO…
WHAT ?
Ethnobotany studies the links between men (ethnology) and plants (botany): edible, medicinal, veterinary, artisanal, toxic, useful, textile, dye plants, but also wood or wickerwork crafts, straw eco-construction, leaf and twig toys, forest tales and legends, popular beliefs and myths related to plants…
The list is long !
WHY A
CENTER
ETHNOBOTANY?
If not so long ago, the knowledge and know-how related to the uses of plants were still common, especially in our rural regions, this knowledge is being lost today. Through a friendly and participatory approach, the Ethnobotanic Center has set itself the following objectives:
- to collect practical knowledge and ancient uses related to local wild plants;
- to disseminate the results of these surveys to a very wide audience so that everyone can reclaim this popular knowledge;
- to organize internships, training, intergenerational workshops and seminars to (re)live the rich interactions between human society and the plant world;
- to federate initiatives related to wild plants in Wallonia.
