Meet the Scientist

Name: Anne P. Underhill
Position/Title: Associate Boone Curator East, Asian Anthropology
Department: Department of Anthropology, The Field Museum

1. What do you study related to biodiversity (what are your research questions, what organisms do you work on)?

In July 2002 I was part of a team that did a study of people living in the vicinity of a newly established national park in northwestern Yunnan province, China. Other scientists at The Field Museum (such as Deborah Moskovits, Greg Mueller, Jun Wen) had previously finished their biological inventories of plant and animal species living within the park. The task of my team was to assess how people in the park area use the natural resources in the park, what constraints they face, and what goals they have in that regard.

It was recognized by everyone, including our Chinese colleagues, that protection of natural areas must involve investigating how people interact with their environment and what the needs of the local people are. The park in this area (Gaoligongshan) is unique, and the various levels of government have plans to develop ecotourism there. It is crucial for the protection of the park that the local people feel they have a voice in the planned development of the area.

In addition, my Sino American collaborative archaeological team (including Gary Feinman and professors at Shandong University) continues to investigate how human settlements changed in southeastern Shandong province, from c. 4500 B.C. to 700 A.D., through both survey and excavation.

2. How do you study biodiversity (for example, what technological tools and methodologies do you use in your research)?

The team used research methods pioneered by Dr. Alaka Wali at CCUC, and I was acting as a representative of CCUC. The method involves interviewing local people to learn the diverse ways they interact with their environment. There were several small hamlets around the park, each composed of families identifying themselves with a variety of ethnic minority groups, as well as the majority group in China called the Han people. We identified what the people regard as natural and cultural assets of each hamlet, including resources used for food or for traditional craft production.

We also observed that there were several individuals who had taken initiative to organize people in their communities to improve their lives. Other individuals had very thoughtful ideas about how to make ecotourism work in their communities, such as training local people to serve as guides or translators. We identified challenges each hamlet had, too, such as finding alternative sources for fuel and fertilizer, as well as making higher education more accessible.

3. Where do you study biodiversity?

Yunnan, China (my first experience).

4. How might your research have implications for biological conservation?

Knowing the pressures people face who live in a natural area that needs protection is crucial. Biological conservation programs cannot be successful if they ignore basic human needs and do not involve the local people in the process of conservation. They should identify the creative, thoughtful groups of people who are there and willing to help the cause.

5. How did you become interested in science? What made you want to be a scientist, and how did you get to The Field Museum?

I first heard about anthropology in high school, and I realized it was a field that could help me answer many of the questions I had about the diversity of human cultures that have lived on our planet. In college I chose to specialize in archaeology, since I wanted to investigate how and why civilization developed in different areas of the world—including similarities and differences between areas.

At the same time, I have always had a strong interest in exploring the tremendous diversity in contemporary cultures throughout the world. After deciding to focus on China, I had an opportunity to pursue both kinds of research. Another goal of mine has been to facilitate mutual understanding of people from different cultures. Doing both archaeology research and working among modern peoples in China gives me an opportunity to work on this.

I did not expect to work in a museum. I did not realize that museums like The Field Museum existed until the moment I heard about a job opening here! I have spent most of my career to date as a college and university professor. Being at The Field has provided me with opportunities to combine several activities I am passionate about: to continue teaching at local universities; to continue field research in China; to learn about new kinds of field research (as I have described here), and to share my experiences with the public (all ages of people).

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