Nancy Turner

Distinguished Professor

PhD (Ethnobotany)1974, University of British Columbia
BSc (Biology) 1969, University of Victoria

Nancy is an ethnobotanist, ethnoecologist and professor in the School of Environmental Studies. She started learning about indigenous peoples and plants as an undergraduate student at UVic in 1968, working with Saanich First Nations elders. Her doctoral work at UBC concentrated on plant classification systems of Haida, Nuxalk (Bella Coola) and Stl'atl'imx (Lillooet) peoples. Her major research contributions have been in demonstrating the pivotal role of plant resources in past and contemporary aboriginal cultures and languages, as an integral component of traditional knowledge systems, and how traditional management of plant resources has shaped the landscapes and habitats of western Canada.