Use Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Research Articles

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Climate Change Adaptation: The Sa'ban experience

Indigenous people often rely on natural resources for their livelihoods. This reliance increases their vulnerability towards the impacts of climate change, and coping with increased climate variability is a significant challenge for such communities. This research, conducted among the Sa'ban tribe of Long Banga in interior Sarawak, Malaysia, explored observations of local climate change, climate change impacts and tribal adaptation strategies. The results show that drought, wildfires and uncertain weather conditions are the Sa'ban's primary concerns. However, the tribe have demonstrated their adaptation strategies through the use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).

Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Adapt to Climate Change in Interior Sarawak

Indigenous people often rely on natural resources for their livelihoods. This reliance increases their vulnerability towards the impacts of climate change, and coping with increased climate variability is a significant challenge for such communities. This research, conducted among the Sa’ban tribe of Long Banga in interior Sarawak, Malaysia, explored observations of local climate change, climate change impacts and tribal adaptation strategies. The results show that drought, wildfires and uncertain weather conditions are the Sa’ban’s primary concerns. However, the tribe have demonstrated their adaptation strategies through the use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).Keywords: indigenous people, traditional ecological knowledge, adaptive capacity, climate change adaptationeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i11.1716

The use of traditional ecological knowledge in sustainable use and management of plant resource through a community-based and participatory assessment

This study was carried out on a community-based and participatory field-based experiment, combining traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and scientific knowledge, with the aim of defining criteria for sustainable harvest prescriptions for Garcinia lucida bark, focusing on its profitability, acceptability and ecological sustainability. Bark harvesting process was documented by monitoring 35 bark gatherers, who have provided accurate information on habitat, density, recruitment, seed predator of G. lucida species that matched well information found with ecological studies. TEK have provided useful information on the species geographical distribution that could serve as important tools in resource mapping and management. Based on the harvest practices experimental records and using TEK, bark gatherers have recommended a strip of 1/3 or 2/3 of tree circumference, by peeling off bark using machete, for household consumption; or ring-barked or felling trees for commercial proposes; a selection of larger trees and a repeat harvest on the same tree after complete bark recovery. Few gatherers, who started planting G. lucida in their coco-farm, showed real interest in applying these harvest prescriptions. However, the open-access status of wild stands constituted the most vulnerable point in applying these prescriptions. This study results have direct bearing on attempts towards sustainable resource use and adaptive management incorporating current ecological knowledge into participatory forest and resource management planning and regulations.© 2017 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Garcinia lucida bark, multiple-used plant species, traditional ecological knowledge, sustainable harvesting, community-based and participatory management

The importance of traditional ecological knowledge in agroecological systems in Peru

ABSTRACTThis study argues that a critical element in the success of an ecosystem service (ES) approach at any level is the higher qualitative valuation of local traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). As such, the objectives of this research were to illustrate the role of TEK in agroecological systems in Peru and to develop recommendations about this type of knowledge acquisition. The data were gathered using interviews and focus groups with subsistence farmers along with key informant interviews to elicit TEK at local and regional scales in five provinces in the Lake Titicaca region of Puno, Peru. Qualitative analysis revealed dominant themes of TEK provided by farmers and key informants, and how this knowledge can enhance the application of an ES approach for environmental management. Climate variability, predicting the timing of seasonal changes, water availability, and adapting the agricultural calendar and agricultural techniques were all central themes. This research concludes that environmental management decisions in the Puno region of Peru are being informed and improved through the use of TEK. Supporting previous research, we propose that agroecological systems, at their core, need to respect the integrity and sanctity of TEK and value it properly within any practical solution for environmental resource management.EDITED BY John Parrotta

Systematic Review and Critique of the Contributions of Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Beluga Whales in the Marine Mammal Literature + Supplementary Appendix Table (See Article Tools)

In this study we systematically review and critique literature containing Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) of the beluga (<em>Delphinapterus leucas</em>) as a case study to gain insights into TEK’s contributions to the marine mammal literature over the past four decades. We reviewed multiple searchable online databases, collected both academic and grey literature, and categorized it by geographic and disciplinary focus, as well as by the contribution of TEK to the source. Of the total 137 papers retained in the final analysis, 67% referred to the Canadian North, particularly the Hudson Bay subregion. Articles that included informal or anecdotal representations of TEK of belugas were the most prevalent. The number of papers containing TEK of belugas increased rapidly between 1975 and 2004 but appears to have leveled off since then. Biological papers represented the largest disciplinary focus (72%), followed by papers on management or co-management. This review showed that although knowledge of Indigenous peoples has made substantial contributions to the understanding of beluga, there is a lack of explicit collection, documentation, and use of TEK in the literature on belugas and particularly in the literature on beluga management.

Bayesian Framework to Integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Ecological Modeling: A Case Study

Indigenous groups offer alternative knowledge and perspectives based on their own locally developed practices of resource use. Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) was thus acquired on the basis of the long-term observation and use of natural systems. Some proponents endorse the use of TEK in scientific research, although the methodology for integrating this knowledge into ecological models is not straightforward. We propose the use of a Bayesian framework integrating TEK as priors for the analysis. We applied TEK in this manner to analyze the seasonality of marine turtles in French Guiana, showing that it can resolve certain situations where the parameter fit is not suitable. However, as TEK can be biased, it is more reliable to use data with sufficient information so as to prevent this bias when estimating the posteriors. The construction of ecological models to be used with TEK is also discussed.

Lack of knowledge or loss of knowledge? Traditional ecological knowledge of population dynamics of threatened plant species in East-Central Europe

Use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is often recommended to relieve knowledge deficit in conservation. However, studies on traditional knowledge of threatened species are scarce, especially in Europe. Twenty-three interviews about 20 threatened plant species (name, habitat, flowering time, human use, population trends, causes of decline or growth) were conducted in each of the two contrasting landscapes, traditional in Romania (Gyimes), abandoned in Hungary (Zala). Amount of knowledge relevant to conservation was less than expected. Habitat and flowering time was known the best, and causes of population decline and growth the least. Better known plants had richer TEK on their dynamics (65% of species in Gyimes, and 35% in Zala). We documented many cases of positive and negative effects of manuring, fertilization, eradication, grazing, mowing, picking, drought, succession, and abandonment. Most knowledge originated from personal experience, and shared knowledge seemed to be limited. Knowledge deficiency may be explained by the stability of the landscape, and the ignorance of many threatened species by locals in Gyimes (lack of knowledge), and by the abandonment of traditional land use and ignorance in Zala (loss of knowledge). We argue that substantial TEK on threatened species may be expected for those species that have been utilized as a resource or have hindered the utilization of a resource. We argue that TEK can provide relevant information to conservation less at the population, and more at the habitat and landscape level.

The Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Forest Management: an Example from India

Rist, L., R. Uma Shaanker, E. J. Milner-Gulland, and J. Ghazoul. 2010. The use of traditional ecological knowledge in forest management: an example from India. Ecology and Society 15(1): 3. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-03290-150103

Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Marine Conservation

Abstract: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) represents multiple bodies of knowledge accumulated through many generations of close interactions between people and the natural world. TEK and its application via customary ecological management plans can be useful in modern conservation programs. I disaggregate the term TEK into its constituent parts and show several ways in which TEK can strengthen research designs by increasing locality‐specific knowledge, including environmental linkages occurring in those localities. Examples of the uses of TEK in conservation include folk taxonomy in systematics in Micronesia, species knowledge for conservation in Kiribati, and fishers' knowledge of ecological interactions for reserve design in Belize. When conservationists recognize the utility of TEK, they can engage in an equitable exchange of knowledge and foster shared responsibility with indigenous people. These types of exchanges can also provide an opportunity for indigenous people to develop a scientific infrastructure.

Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Reduce Striped Bass Bycatch in the Currituck Sound White Perch Gill‐Net Fishery

AbstractThe gill‐net fishery for white perch Morone americana in upper Currituck Sound, North Carolina, currently is regulated by season, mesh‐size, and net tending restrictions primarily intended for reducing the bycatch of striped bass Morone saxatilis. The fall fishery (September– December) cannot use small‐mesh nets, and fishers must tend nets at all times within a distance of 91.4 m. The spring fishery (January–April) also has small‐mesh restrictions, but fishers can leave nets unattended. Commercial fishers are concerned about these restrictions. We examined these concerns by designing a study in which randomly deployed gill nets were paired with nets set at sites chosen by a commercial fisher based on traditional ecological knowledge of the region. The commercial fisher reduced bycatch of striped bass while maintaining catches of white perch. Marketable quality (i.e., average size) of white perch was not significantly different between random sets and commercially designated sets. Most of the total catch (95%) and a majority of striped bass (64%) were caught alive. The number of live captures was inversely correlated with water temperature and positively correlated with oxygen content. Management recommendations include initiation of similar gill‐net studies both within Currituck Sound and statewide for comparison of results, development of a fisher questionnaire to ascertain experience level, and establishment of observer coverage to confirm the results presented here.

Rethinking Community‐Based Conservation

Abstract: Community‐based conservation (CBC) is based on the idea that if conservation and development could be simultaneously achieved, then the interests of both could be served. It has been controversial because community development objectives are not necessarily consistent with conservation objectives in a given case. I examined CBC from two angles. First, CBC can be seen in the context of paradigm shifts in ecology and applied ecology. I identified three conceptual shifts—toward a systems view, toward the inclusion of humans in the ecosystem, and toward participatory approaches to ecosystem management—that are interrelated and pertain to an understanding of ecosystems as complex adaptive systems in which humans are an integral part. Second, I investigated the feasibility of CBC, as informed by a number of emerging interdisciplinary fields that have been pursuing various aspects of coupled systems of humans and nature. These fields—common property, traditional ecological knowledge, environmental ethics, political ecology, and environmental history—provide insights for CBC. They may contribute to the development of an interdisciplinary conservation science with a more sophisticated understanding of social‐ecological interactions. The lessons from these fields include the importance of cross‐scale conservation, adaptive comanagement, the question of incentives and multiple stakeholders, the use of traditional ecological knowledge, and development of a cross‐cultural conservation ethic.

Use of traditional ecological knowledge in environmental assessment of uranium mining in the Athabasca Saskatchewan

Use of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is now a requirement of many environmental review panels. It was in the remit for the investigation into uranium mining in northern Saskatchewan, but there was a mismatch between the narrow, often technical, treatment of TEK and the broader, more cultural comments of the Dene Aboriginal intervenors. It is essential to recognize when a development proposal's planning needs and social issues exceed the scope of environmental assessment (EA). TEK can relate to EA on three levels: detailed information from localpeople on the environment and wildlife; gaining insight in to socio-cultural effects of a project; and changes to a landscape or a people's relationship with it that may threaten their deep identification with their environment. The last may not be a part of an ordinary EA.

Traditional Knowledge of the Ecology of Beluga Whales (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) in the Eastern Chukchi and Northern Bering Seas, Alaska

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has been used opportunistically in biological studies of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Alaska, but no previous research has documented this knowledge systematically. This first such effort, which took place in Norton Bay, Buckland, and Point Lay, Alaska, provided descriptions of migratory and local movements, feeding, calving, ecological interactions, and human influences on distribution and behavior. The results are consistent with those of previous studies but add considerable detail, including descriptions of avoidance and habituation responses to anthropogenic noise, which appear to depend in part on association with hunting activities. Making greater use of TEK will benefit both research and management by providing better information and by expanding the collaborative process developed through co-management.