Nancy Turner

Nancy Turner, Distinguished Professor and Hakai Professor in Ethnoecology at the University of Victoria, is an ethnobotanist whose research integrates the fields of botany and ecology with anthropology, geography and linguistics, among others. She is interested in the traditional knowledge systems and traditional land and resource management systems of Indigenous Peoples, particularly in western Canada.

Nancy has worked with First Nations elders and cultural specialists in northwestern North America for over 40 years, collaborating with indigenous communities to help document, retain and promote their traditional knowledge of plants and habitats, including indigenous foods, materials and medicines, as well as language and vocabulary relating to plants and environments. Her interests also include the roles of plants and animals in narratives, ceremonies, language and belief systems.

Currently, Nancy is working on several research and writing projects. In 2011, she was named Hakai Chair in Ethnoecology and was awarded a $1.25 million grant from the Quadra Island-based Tula Foundation to support her ongoing work. This funding and new role allows her to participate more fully in community-based learning and research, especially pertaining to critical issues facing Canadians today on the importance of sustaining biocultural diversity in an ever-changing world. She remains active in organisations including The Hakai Institute, Society of Ethnobiology, Society for Economic Botany and Slow Food International.