CMKb: a web-based prototype for integrating Australian Aboriginal customary medicinal plant knowledge

This paper describes the developement of an integrated multidisciplinary resource, to document, conserve and disseminate the customary medicinal plant knowledge possessed by the Australian Aboriginal people. The customary medicinal plant knowledge possessed by the Australian Aboriginal people is a significant resource. Published information on it is scattered throughout the literature, in heterogeneous data formats, and is scattered among various Aboriginal communities across Australia, due to a multiplicity of languages. This ancient knowledge is at risk due to loss of biodiversity, cultural impact and the demise of many of its custodians. The authors of this paper have developed the Customary Medicinal Knowledgebase (CMKb), an integrated multidisciplinary resource, to document, conserve and disseminate this knowledge. Written by Jitendra Gaikwad, Varun Khanna, Subramanyam Vemulpad, Joanne Jamie, Jim Kohen and Shoba Ranganathan