World-famous Amazon ethnobotanist Mark Plotkin visited Cline Library on Nov. 7 to speak at an event hosted by the Arizona Enthnobotanical Research Association, NAU Botany Club and the Anthropology Department.

Before the presentation, the Friends of Rio, Hualapai Ethnobotany Project, Botany Club and Cultural Conservancy presented information about their organizations and causes outside the assembly hall. A raffle was held, and funds were raised through selling shirts, plants and books. The Hualapai Project offered free samples of agave bread and Mormon tea.

Jessa Fisher, one of the main coordinators of the event, said everyone was excited to hear Plotkin speak.

“We’re all here to present him to the community,” Fisher said. “He is [an expert on] GIS mapping and conservation of tribal lands in the Amazon.”

Plotkin, the author of The Shaman’s Apprentice, was involved in helping Amazon tribes learn to map their lands. A Harvard graduate, Plotkin took instruction from Dr. Richard Evans Shultes, often referred to as the Father of Ethnobotany. Plotkin and his wife, Liliana Madrigal, founded the Amazon Conservation Team. Their website, amazonteam.org, offers more information about their cause and work in the Amazon on GIS mapping and conservation.

Plotkin’s presentation included several humorous anecdotes from his experiences in the Amazon working with tribal shamans and more serious details about ethnobotany and its importance.

“We’re essentially catalysts; we’re trying to help people make that leap from illiterate to literate,” Plotkin said.

Plotkin also stressed the importance of protecting native knowledge, wisdom and landscapes. He discussed several forms of South American medicine, plants and their tribes. He said although not considered traditional by Western society, these methods of healing are becoming the most sought out for today’s deadliest diseases.

“We need to appreciate the value of indigenous wisdom in our highly technical society,” Plotkin said.

Over the course of his work, Plotkin won many awards, including Time Magazine’s Environmental Hero for the Planet in 2001, one of The Smithsonian’s 35 People Who Made a Difference in 2005 and the Skoll Foundation’s Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2008.

After the elders from several tribes spoke briefly, Plotkin was given a gift: a handcrafted doll from a member of the Hopi tribe.

Brad Wero, a Southern Paiute who is a junior at Fredonia High School, worked at a Cultural Conservancy table and handed out information. Wero said he was excited to hear Plotkin speak.

“This area is highly occupied by natives, and people need to know this information,” Wero said. “People don’t really know a lot about [ethnobotany], and I didn’t either. I learned a lot, like how plants are used for several medicinal purposes.”

Whitney Lindsay, one of the event’s coordinators, said Plotkin’s expertise will help raise awareness about the needs of the environment.

“It’s important for people to be able to reconnect with their natural environment,” Lindsay said. “And this is presented by a professional in the field who can give detailed knowledge on the subject.”