Systems Ethnopharmacology and Sustainable Bioresources

Affiliated with the Society for Ethnopharmacology (SFE-India)

Systems Ethnopharmacology and Sustainable Bioresources (SESB) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research at the intersection of ethnopharmacology, ecological stewardship, sustainability science, and modern pharmacology through a systems-thinking lens. The journal promotes a holistic understanding of how medicinal plants, natural products, traditional knowledge systems, and traditional practices operate within dynamic biological, ecological, socio-economic, and cultural contexts that shape human and planetary health. SESB aligns with global sustainability priorities, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and encourages rigorous, ethical, and community-centered research that strengthens both scientific credibility and ecological responsibility.

The journal welcomes original research, reviews, community-engaged studies, and policy analyses, letters to the editor that:

• Integrate methodologies and perspectives from the biological, chemical, ecological, computational, and social sciences with traditional and Indigenous knowledge systems to address challenges in ethnopharmacology, sustainable healthcare, biodiversity conservation, and culturally relevant innovation.

• Explore sustainable sourcing, conservation strategies, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience, and One Health approaches that link human, animal, and environmental health. Submissions may emphasize Indigenous-led research, equitable community participation, protection of cultural practices, and fair and transparent benefit-sharing.

• Advance natural product discovery, characterization, and validation using modern analytical sciences, including metabolomics, proteomics, bioactivity-guided fractionation, chemoinformatics, network pharmacology, and systems biology. Studies should deepen mechanistic understanding, support reproducibility, and connect oral traditional knowledge, complementary and alternative medicines, ethnic knowledges with contemporary scientific evidence.

• Apply artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), deep learning, data mining, predictive modeling, knowledge graphs, and other data-driven approaches to enhance natural product discovery, decipher complex biological and cultural datasets, infer mechanisms of action, assess safety, improve traceability, and support informed decision-making in sustainable bioresource management.

• Develop and evaluate transparent, responsible, and innovative value chains for medicinal plants and bioresources, including blockchain-enabled traceability, circular and regenerative production systems, sustainable harvesting frameworks, and quality-assurance mechanisms that strengthen authenticity, safety, and environmental accountability.

• Contribute to emerging domains such as the bioeconomy; nutrieconomy (food-as-medicine systems); blue bioresources and blue bioeconomy (marine and coastal biodiversity); microbial resources; and climate-adaptive biological systems that support nutrition security, community livelihoods, ecological resilience, and sustainable development.

• Address global policy frameworks and ethical commitments, including the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics (CARE) Principles for Indigenous Data Governance, as well as principles of data sovereignty and the protection of Indigenous intellectual and cultural heritage. Submissions should articulate how permissions, attributions, and ethical agreements were obtained and upheld.

• Foster interdisciplinary dialogue among researchers, academicians, Indigenous communities, traditional healers, conservation practitioners, healthcare professionals, policymakers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), pharmaceutical and wellness industries, and allied sectors working toward responsible, inclusive, and sustainability-driven innovation.

We encourage you to review the journal's thematic highlights for further information.

SESB encourages submissions that bridge science, culture, ecology, technology, and policy with a strong commitment to methodological rigor, ethical research practices, global sustainability, and meaningful engagement with traditional knowledge holders and local communities.