As part of the annual Acfas 2023 awards gala which was held on November 16, Alain Cuerrier, botanist at the Botanical Garden, research member at the IRBV and associate professor at the Département de sciences biologiques of the Université de Montréal, was awarded the prestigious 2023 Acfas Jacques-Rousseau Prize.
Since 1981, this prize has rewarded the excellence and influence of the work of a researcher who has been able to establish innovative bridges between different disciplines beyond their area of specialization. Alain Cuerrier’s research focuses on ethnobotany, that is to say the relationship between the plant world and human beings. He is interested in local and traditional knowledge linked to nature. He established collaborations with the Inuit, Cree, Innus, Naskapis of Quebec as well as the Squamish of British Columbia and the Palikur of French Guiana.
In addition to the field of ethnobotany, Alain Cuerrier studies the perception of nature and climate change by the First Nations of Canada. He is also interested in traditional indigenous medicine, in particular Arctic plants, those of the boreal forest and, more recently, of certain tropical countries. He is also part of the Research Team on Indigenous Anti-Diabetic Medicines at the Canadian Institute of Health Research and is treasurer of the International Society of Ethnobiology.
Alain has published more than 60 articles and more than 12 books as part of his research. He is also an associate editor for the Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnobotany Research and Applications.
Alain Cuerrier’s journey is most remarkable. He received the Jacques-Rousseau Prize, an award named in honor of an eminent botanist, ethnologist and explorer, who was the first director of the Botanical Garden after Brother Marie-Victorin. Alain Cuerrier brilliantly follows in the footsteps traced at the time by Mr. Rousseau.
Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!
Further reading: