The Eyes of the Tree: Applying Field Environmental Philosophy to Tackle Conservation Problems at Long-Term Socio-ecological Research Sites

Abstract

The Anthropocene is marked by a process of biocultural homogenization that includes the loss of biological and cultural diversity. The International Long-term Ecological Research (ILTER) network is intended to monitor, and eventually orient actions to counteract global environmental change. However, the focus of most studies on biophysical research at the expense of cultural dimensions and the lack of direct applications in management and policy limit the scope of the ILTER network. In this study, we implemented a Field Environmental Philosophy methodology in an ILTER site in southern Chile to demonstrate how the integration of ecological and philosophical studies can help overcome these limitations. The work integrates the cultural and ethical interrelations among the habitat, the community of co-inhabitants, and their life habits, to overcome ethical dilemmas in invasive ecology and find conservation solutions to the problem of invasive species. We created a metaphor, “the eyes of the tree,” that draws together the ecological, technological, and cultural dimensions of the study, providing a conceptual, ethical, and technological lens that helps people perceive and understand the sub-Antarctic biota of Magallanes and monitor and control invasive species. It facilitates a conservation discourse with an eco-centric view in order to counteract the problem of biocultural homogenization.