Descriptive: The first stage of ethnobiology concerning the recording of name and uses. Early
anthropologists relied on folk wisdom to record detailed recordings of biological knowledge.
This allowed cross-cultural analysis through the textual record.
Cognitive-analytic: The second phase of development of ethnobiology. Cognitive, linguistic, and
cultural theories arose and were applied to flora and fauna science. In 1950, this became
known as “ethnoscience.” This movement also included the inclusion of psychology,
information science, and anthropology.
Ecological: Victor Toledo pioneered the expansion of the field to include ethnoecology and the
subsequent fusion of environmental and ethno-scientific anthropology
Widely Inclusive: This is the stage that introduced the inclusion of indigenous people in
literature writing. Today’s field is continuously evolving and improving on the inclusion of
nature, human ecology, and ethnobiology across all cultures.