Abstract

Globally, the importance of indigenous and local knowledge systems for science, policy, environmental conservation and the cultural heritage of indigenous peoples is increasingly being recognised. The Amazon region in particular is home to many indigenous peoples who have conserved their cultural traditions and knowledge, despite growing threats to the environment and traditional lifestyles and cultures. Based on insights from ethnographic research in three indigenous communities, here we present a case study on the indigenous knowledge of the Urarina people of the Chambira Basin in the Peruvian Amazon and its implications for conservation. We describe, for the first time, a series of anthropomorphic and territorial “wetland spirits”, who are associated with particular wetland ecosystems and range in character from the benign to outright aggressive. Their presence may indirectly benefit conservation of wetlands, as humans fear or respect these wetland spirits and adapt their behaviour accordingly. While benign spirits may be seen as positive models to follow, aggressive spirits may deter unsustainable harvesting of resources through fear of disease or death. However, their cultural status is not adequately captured by such rational-scientific explanations. Wetland spirits are important characters within the indigenous cosmos of humans and non-humans, which is built on a relational, rather than extractive model of connecting humans and nature. We discuss our findings in the context of wider conceptual debates on recognising relational ontologies in environmental policy and conservation, the paradigm of biocultural conservation, as well as their implications for land titling, and incorporating indigenous perspectives in local education.

Highlights

  • Many traditional and indigenous knowledge systems around the world are closely linked with ideals of stewardship of nature, expressed, for example, in the idea that natural sites can be sacred and deserve to be respected and protected on that basis (Byers et al, 2001; Ober­ kircher et al, 2011; Verschuuren, 2010; Wadley and Colfer, 2004)

  • We explore the implications of indigenous knowledge of spirits, a common element within the Amazonian cosmovision (Fernandez-Llamazares and Virtanen, 2020), for the conservation of wetland ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon

  • We have presented novel empirical evidence on the cultural and spiritual importance that wetland ecosystems have to indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon

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Summary

Introduction

Many traditional and indigenous knowledge systems around the world are closely linked with ideals of stewardship of nature, expressed, for example, in the idea that natural sites can be sacred and deserve to be respected and protected on that basis (Byers et al, 2001; Ober­ kircher et al, 2011; Verschuuren, 2010; Wadley and Colfer, 2004). The relationship has been dynamic, and indigenous peoples have been largely successful at maintaining forest cover, different re­ gions within the Amazon may have seen stronger or weaker effects on soils and/or the abundance of useful plant species (Clement et al, 2015; Kelly et al, 2018; Montoya et al, 2020) Indigenous knowledge from this world region may potentially provide some insights for more sustainable land management practices and conservation, while such evidence questions the simplistic idea of keeping ecosystems in a “natural state”. This study responds to contemporary calls for pluralistic perspectives on conservation, which may contribute to more social justice and effectiveness (Pascual et al, 2021)

Indigenous and local knowledge in global policy and anthropological theory
Methodology
The Urarina and their relationship with the wetlands of the Peruvian Amazon
Urarina spirits and their territories
The baainu: spirit of the peatland ecosystems
The jiiri kurii: messenger of the creator and the arara cloud people
The ruasara: monstrous hunting spirits of the seasonally flooded forest
A relational model for wetland conservation
Biocultural diversity and conservation
Indigenous knowledge in education
Findings
Conclusions
Full Text
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