The potential for development of drugs and other chemically active substance from plants is huge and has only recently become widely recognized. Moreover, it is now all the more urgent due to widespread destruction of the plants' habitats and the human ethnic groups that possess the intimate knowledge of the potential of such plants. This subject - dubbed "ethnobotany" - has great implications for conservationists worldwide. This book tackles this subject in a new series in plant conservation sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). As with each of the books in the series, it aims to give an authoritative guide to the subject in a clear, jargon-free style. It should therefore not only be of interest to academic botanists and pharmaceutical personnel but also to the many "amateur" collectors (or "parataxonomists"), as well as nature guides, and other field workers. It is written in three parts, representing three levels of difficulty for ease of use. Working figures clarify key concepts, clear tables represent research data and examples explain case studies in some detail. The source book at the end of the book contains the most technical information, and points the way to more information. A full bibliography contains references to all cited articles and books. This book should be of interest to conservation biologists, plant ecologists/economic botanists, ethnobotanists, conservation and aid agency personnel, agroforestry experts, anthropologists, and pharmaceutical/pharmacologists, phytochemists.