Role Of Local Ecological Knowledge Research Articles

Local ecological knowledge and resilience of ethnomedical systems in a changing world – South American perspectives

We are experiencing an era of great and rapid changes that directly affect biocultural systems. Ethnomedical systems are complex social-ecological structures and processes affected by drivers that may lead to changes in the trajectories of these systems, or even to collapse, according to their resilience and adaptation capacity. We examine ethnomedical systems in the context of social-ecological resilience, discussing how these systems are adapting and responding to current challenges, threats and risks. Seven case studies from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities living close to forest ecosystems in South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay) provide an overview and offer strategies for research and public policies related to biocultural diversity and health. We discuss some nuances of ethnomedical systems resilience, such as the importance of utilitarian redundancy, the effects of biomedicine and technologies on traditional practices, including the hybridization process; the effects of contaminated environments in the use of plants; the influence of COVID-19 on traditional practices and peoples’ creative responses to the pandemic; and the influence of Brazilian health care policies for Indigenous Peoples. Based on these case studies at different spatial scales (individual, local community, metacommunity, and macrosystem levels), we discuss the adaptation, transformation, and resilience of ethnomedical systems, as well as the role of local ecological knowledge in this process. We highlight new perspectives for research, actions and public policies that can favor the quality of life and health of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.

The role of local ecological knowledge for the conservation and sustainable fisheries of the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758) in the Iberian Peninsula

Anadromous sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus, 1758) uses many environments in its life cycle, which makes them even more susceptible to any environmental changes. Due to the potential of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in fishing villages on the Minho River, this study provided information on trophic chain, conservation, gastronomy, taboos, and food aversions of the sea lamprey. The discharge of pollutants, physical barriers, and climate change were considered a threat to the conservation of sea lamprey. Fishers’ LEK highlighted some preys from Osteichthyes and two potential predators (European otter and the Great Cormorant). Artisanal fishing was carried out predominantly at night and close to the village of Caminha, with the average of the largest sea lamprey caught was 2.6 kg. The price of this fishing resource could vary between 10 and 40 euros. Food taboos did not influence the conservation of this lamprey species. Local beliefs can assist in the promotion of eco-labels and greater recognition of local gastronomy. Alternative approaches to current scientific research can lead fishing villages that depend on these natural resources to contribute to the conservation of sea lamprey in the Minho river watershed.

Epistemic justice and the integration of local ecological knowledge for marine conservation: Lessons from the Seychelles

This article applies the concept of epistemic justice to stakeholder participation in natural resource management, in particular in relation to the marine environment. It explores the dynamics involved in promoting ‘epistemic justice’ in the governance of public policy for sustainability. This is illustrated using a case study exploring the role of local ecological knowledge of artisanal fishers for marine spatial planning in the Seychelles. Qualitative data was first collected through interviews with key informants and in participatory stakeholder workshops exploring the key threats, trade-offs, and challenges for promoting sustainable futures in the marine environment. Secondly, focus groups with local fishers explored the impacts of marine policy upon access to natural resources and local livelihoods, and detailed the role of local ecological knowledge for supporting marine conservation practice. An analysis of grey literature provided additional, contextual data. The case study demonstrates that local ecological knowledge has an important role in informing fine grained, spatial, and temporal management approaches for marine spatial planning. However, in the absence of trust between state planners and fishing communities', knowledge sharing can be challenging. These factors are exacerbated by restrictions that marine policies place on local livelihoods, and the dominance of western paradigms for conservation that marginalises alternative knowledge contributions. The research points to the importance of promoting epistemic justice practices that bring respectful synthesis in knowledge sharing through addressing issues of credibility, trust, transparency, power inequalities, and accountability of state institutions.

Implementing climate variability adaptation at the community level in the Amazon floodplain

The need to design measures for adapting to climate change is increasingly recognized as important and has encouraged research on the role of local ecological knowledge (LEK) in supporting adaptation. Studies of how LEK can help adapt to increasing climate variability remain limited. This article develops an approach through which the process of adaptation can be tracked at a community level. We describe how community residents in the Amazon floodplains incorporate natural hydrologic and ecological processes into their management systems to optimize ecosystem functioning.We describe two case studies where LEK is used as a resource by small-scale fisher-farmers in the Amazon floodplains to adapt to the increasing impacts on their livelihoods generated by changing climate patterns. This article draws on local histories and seeks to identify the critical factors that either facilitate or impede household ability to reduce their vulnerability. We found that the LEK of small fisher-farmers has facilitated the adaptation of a resource management system to optimize production across a broad range of floodplain habitats and conditions. There are, however, significant challenges to operationalizing these approaches, including an absence of systematically collected data on adaptation strategies and outcomes. In addition, local people must be integrated into policymaking processes so their knowledge can contribute to the design of locally appropriate policies for adapting to the impacts of climate related events.

Conservation of biodiversity in private lands: are Chilean landowners willing to keep threatened species in their lands?

Background: The biological conservation in private lands largely depends upon landowners’ willingness to keep populations of wild species on them, an issue highlighted by the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this study, we aim (i) to understand small landowners’ behavioural intentions, or relative intensity to adopt a given behaviour, towards threatened wildlife and (ii) to assess the role of local ecological knowledge, awareness of protected area, and forest ownership on landowners’ behavioural intentions towards threatened biodiversity. We interviewed peasants living around Los Queules National Reserve in Central Chile. Results: Interview results showed that behavioural intentions towards threatened species were species-dependant. Results also showed that higher ecological knowledge and awareness of a protected area were associated with positive behavioural intentions towards wildlife. Peasants who owned land with larger forest cover reported positive behavioural intentions towards wildlife more frequently than peasants with less forest cover on their lands, although associations were not consistent across species. Conclusions: We conclude that (i) opportunities for getting peasants to support species conservation depend on the particular species and vary across peasants and (ii) there is a relevant social heterogeneity among peasants in terms of behavioural intentions towards species. As both factors likely influence conservation outcomes, they should be considered in the design of biodiversity conservation efforts.

Oral histories as a baseline of landscape restoration – Co-management and watershed knowledge in Jukajoki River

This article explores local oral histories and selected communal written texts and their role in the severely damaged watershed of Jukajoki [and adjacent lake Jukajarvi watershed] located in Kontiolahti and Joensuu municipalities, North Karelia, Finland. All in all 35 narratives were collected 2010−2012. Four narratives have been presented in this paper as an example of the materials. Empirical materials have been analysed by using a framework of both Integrated Ecosystem Management and co-management. Three readings of the river Jukajoki and the adjacent watershed emerged from the materials – Sami times, Savo-Karelian times and times of damages, or the industrial age of the river. Local knowledge, including optic histories, provided information about pre-industrial fisheries, fish ecology and behaviour and bird habitats. Lastly, special oral histories of keepers of the local tradition provided narratives which are consistent with inquiries from other parts of Finland, non-Euclidian readings of time and space and hint at what the Indigenous scholars have proposed as an intimate interconnection between nature and human societies extending beyond notions of social-ecological systems. Empirical oral histories also conceptualize collaborative governance with a formal role of local ecological knowledge as a future management option for the Jukajoki watershed. Watershed restoration and associated baseline information benefits greatly from the oral histories recorded with people who still remember pre-industrial and pre-war ecosystems and their qualities.

The role of local ecological knowledge in sustainable urban planning: perspectives from Finland

paper This is a study of the role of local ecological knowledge (LEK) as lay-expert knowledge in the urban land use planning process in Finland. The research addresses the importance of LEK, and the ways LEK is obtained and used. To obtain data, planning officials, biologists, and representatives of resident and nature associations were interviewed in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The results indicate that LEK exists among nature enthusiast, as well as local residents, and planners can obtain the knowledge in several ways, most notably through networks of knowledgeable key informants and local nature associations. Considering LEK in urban planning is important because it complements scientific ecological data and indicates places important to locals. Some of the challenges of using LEK include collecting it through participatory planning processes, distinguishing it from other information, valuing subjective knowledge, and empowering planning officials to use LEK. To enhance communication between stakeholders, social scientists should be integrated in the planning process. Furthermore, technical improvements, such as registers of key informants and more efficient use of nature associations’ knowledge, would be useful in applying LEK.

Local Ecological Knowledge and Institutional Dynamics for Ecosystem Management: A Study of Lake Racken Watershed, Sweden

The sustainable use of resources requires that management practices and institutions take into account the dynamics of the ecosystem. In this paper, we explore the role of local ecological knowledge and show how it is used in management practices by a local fishing association in a contemporary rural Swedish community. We focus on the local management of crayfish, a common-pool resource, and also address the way crayfish management is linked to institutions at different levels of Swedish society. Methods from the social sciences were used for information gathering, and the results were analyzed within the framework of ecosystem management. We found that the practices of local fishing association resemble an ecosystem approach to crayfish management. Our results indicate that local users have substantial knowledge of resource and ecosystem dynamics from the level of the individual crayfish to that of the watershed, as reflected in a variety of interrelated management practices embedded in and influenced by institutions at several levels. We propose that this policy of monitoring at several levels simultaneously, together with the interpretation of a bundle of indicators and associated management responses, enhances the possibility of building ecological resilience into the watershed. Furthermore, we found that flexibility and adaptation are required to avoid command-and-control pathways of resource management. We were able to trace the development of the local fishing association as a response to crisis, followed by the creation of an opportunity for reorganization and the recognition of slow ecosystem structuring variables, and also to define the role of knowledgeable individuals in the whole process. We discuss the key roles of adaptive capacity, institutional learning, and institutional memory for successful ecosystem management and conclude that scientific adaptive management could benefit from a more explicit collaboration with flexible community-based systems of resource management for the implementation of policies as experiments.