Senior Assistant Professor Merlin F. Franco of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam presented a TEDx Talk on “The Beauty of Local Plants and Animal Names.”

In this engaging talk, Dr. Franco explains that although there are scientific names for plant and animal species, local names provide us with important insights and should be conserved as they are condensed forms of local knowledge and are a cultural heritage of immense relevance in contemporary times.

Dr. Franco has been collaborating with various local communities in Brunei, India, Indonesia and Malaysia on research projects related to local ecological calendars, cultural landscapes, and folk classifications. His latest edited book is Case Studies in Biocultural Diversity from Southeast Asia (IAS/Springer).

To view the talk, please see the video below.