The Ethno-ornithology World Archive (EWA): an open-science database for bird and biocultural conservation

The EWA project seeks to engage indigenous and local peoples, members of the public and private sector, community leaders, and researchers in bird—and more generally, biocultural—conservation, through the recording, researching, dissemination and application of ethno-ornithological knowledge world-wide. Presently in early stages of development, we outline four areas of the EWA user-created online database to open discussion and invite feedback from the ethnobiology community:  1) conservation priorities; 2) intellectual and cultural heritage issues including ethical considerations; 3) comparative and collaborative research; 4) tools for teaching and learning.  With this compilation of culturally relevant knowledge of birds, we aim for more robust partnerships between conservationists and local people, and greater understanding of the cultures of all stakeholders. In so doing, we explore and implement best-practices for building reciprocal, respectful relationships between communities of knowledge-origin and outsider researchers in digital environments. The potential for comparative ethno-ornithological research using the EWA database is great, and it is envisioned as a rich resource for transformational teaching and active learning.