On April 13, Visiting associate professor Marlène Ngansop's course, "Ethnobotany and Sustainable Development: Comparative Perspectives from Africa and Japan" began.

Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationships between people and plants.

This course, offered to students in their third year and above, aims to introduce the fundamentals of ethnobotany from the perspective of intercultural understanding.

In particular, the course focuses on non-timber forest products (NTFPs), Visiting associate professor Marlene's area of expertise, and explores comparative perspectives on plant use in African and Japanese societies.

In addition, students will examine the relationship between ethnobotany and sustainable development through discussions of everyday interactions with plants.

In the first class session, an introductory lecture was given on the field of ethnobotany and its scope of study.