This collection examines how ethnobiological and ethnomedical knowledge can be preserved, analyzed, and expanded through modern digital and computational tools. Inspired by the ETHCSTWIN initiative, it highlights interdisciplinary research that connects traditional medicinal knowledge with big data, AI, and collaborative open-science frameworks.

The collection welcomes contributions on:

• Digital preservation and documentation of ethnobiomedical heritage, including manuscripts, folklore, and ethnobotanical records.
• Computational and AI‑based methods—such as machine learning, data mining, NLP, and systems biology—for analyzing large ethnobiomedical datasets and generating therapeutic insights.
• Development of digital infrastructures, including relational databases, knowledge graphs, and integrated platforms for data curation and reuse.
• Interdisciplinary methodologies that bridge ethnobiomedical research with data science, bioinformatics, and cheminformatics.
• Capacity building and collaborative models that strengthen cross‑regional research ecosystems, particularly those linking the Balkans, Mediterranean, and Central Europe.
• Future applications, including translational potential for phytotherapy, drug discovery, and community‑driven knowledge exchange.

All submissions in this Collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process, and all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) are handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.

In the years ahead, ethnobiology and ethnomedicine in Africa will face critical challenges and exciting opportunities. The erosion of traditional knowledge due to climate change, desertification, and sociocultural shifts threaten biodiversity and ancestral practices. Yet, a new wave of youth-led entrepreneurship is emerging, reimagining indigenous knowledge as a driver of sustainability. This Special Collection is devoted to tapping these hidden horizons based on local knowledge.

Young farmers are integrating agroecology with local traditions, creating value-added products from wild and regional varieties of cultivated foods. Secondary small industries and enterprises—dealing with new gastronomies, herbal teas, phytomedicines, fermented goods, and plant-based cosmetics—are proliferating, supported by the urban demand for natural and locally rooted products. 

Increasingly, processed goods from shepherding and small-scale fisheries—such as cured meats, dried fish, and traditional dairy products—are being rediscovered, valorised, and integrated into local economies, linking pastoral and coastal knowledge systems to contemporary food markets.

At the same time, crafts and handwork based on ethnobotanical materials are gaining renewed relevance as both cultural heritage and economic resource. 

Ecotourism and community-led experiences foster deeper engagement with local knowledge systems, while revived and adapted traditional water management practices are becoming vital tools to combat desertification. The challenge lies in balancing innovation with community ownership, ensuring this hybrid knowledge leads to resilience, self-determination, and concrete applied post-colonialism.

The core challenge remains to ensure that innovation enhances community sovereignty, protecting traditional knowledge from exploitation and transforming it into a foundation for resilience and regeneration.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 2, Zero hunger, SDG 12, Responsible consumption and production, and SDG 13, Climate action.

All submissions in this collection undergo the journal’s standard peer review process. Similarly, all manuscripts authored by a Guest Editor(s) will be handled by the Editor-in-Chief. As an open access publication, this journal levies an article processing fee (details here). We recognize that many key stakeholders may not have access to such resources and are committed to supporting participation in this issue wherever resources are a barrier. For more information about what support may be available, please visit OA funding and support, or email OAfundingpolicy@springernature.com or the Editor-in-Chief.