Journal ArticleDOI
Who knows? On the importance of identifying experts when researching local ecological knowledge
Anthony Davis,John Wagner +1 more
TLDR
A recent review of the recent social research literature suggests that insufficient attention is given both to reporting the methods employed and to employing systematic approaches, especially with regard to the critical issue of how local experts are identified.Abstract:
Documenting local ecological knowledge (LEK) has recently become a topic of considerable interest within the social research, development, and indigenous rights communities. For instance, LEK is thought to offer a substantial alternative to existing, largely “top‐down,” natural resource management regimes. LEK informed resource management systems would acknowledge peoples’ experiences and priorities, while also providing people with additional means of empowerment. Given these qualities, one might reasonably expect that rigorous design and methodological attributes will characterize LEK research, particularly respecting the procedures employed to identify and to select “local knowledge experts.” Our review of the recent social research literature suggests that insufficient attention is given both to reporting the methods employed and to employing systematic approaches, especially with regard to the critical issue of how local experts are identified. We detail a research design that systematically solicited peer recommendations of fisheries local knowledge experts in a study focused on two northeast Nova Scotian embayments. Finally, we argue that in order to achieve the stated purposes and potentials of LEK research, researchers need to become more attentive to reporting on the methods employed and to employing systematic approaches than is currently the case.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Adaptive governance of social-ecological systems
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the social dimension that enables adaptive ecosystem-based management, focusing on experiences of adaptive governance of social-ecological systems during periods of abrupt change and investigates social sources of renewal and reorganization.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ethnobiology, socio-economics and management of mangrove forests: A review
Bradley B. Walters,Patrik Rönnbäck,John M. Kovacs,Beatrice Crona,Syed Ainul Hussain,Ruchi Badola,Jurgenne H. Primavera,Edward B. Barbier,Farid Dahdouh-Guebas,Farid Dahdouh-Guebas +9 more
TL;DR: There is growing research interest in the ethnobiology, socio-economics and management of mangrove forests as discussed by the authors, with harvesting efforts and impacts concentrated in stands that are closer to settlements and easiest to access (by land or by sea).
Journal ArticleDOI
Social-ecological memory in urban gardens-Retaining the capacity for management of ecosystem services
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on social or collect-collective knowledge and associated practice to sustain and enhance ecosystem services on the ground, where many ecosystem services are in decline.
Journal ArticleDOI
WHAT you know is WHO you know? Communication patterns among resource users as a prerequisite for co-management
Beatrice Crona,Örjan Bodin +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyzed the social network used for communication of knowledge and information related to natural resource extraction among villagers in a coastal seascape in Kenya and found that communication occurs primarily between fishermen who use the same gear type, which may inhibit exchange of ecological knowledge within the community.
Journal ArticleDOI
Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Marine Conservation
TL;DR: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) represents multiple bodies of knowledge accumulated through many generations of close interactions between people and the natural world as mentioned in this paper and its application via customary ecological management plans can be useful in modern conservation programs.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Dismantling the Divide Between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge
TL;DR: The concept of indigenous knowledge and its role in development are problematic issues as currently conceptualized as discussed by the authors, and to productively engage indigenous knowledge in development, we must go beyond the dichotomy of indigenous vs. scientific, and work towards greater autonomy for 'indigenous' peoples.
Book
Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management
TL;DR: In this article, a knowledge-practice-belief complex of traditional ecological knowledge is proposed to deal with the topic of traditional knowledge specifically in the context of natural resource management, and a diversity of relationships that different groups have developed with their environment is explored.
Journal ArticleDOI
Using traditional ecological knowledge in science: methods and applications
TL;DR: In this paper, the benefits of using traditional ecological knowledge in scientific and management contexts are discussed, including semi-directive interviews, questionnaires, facilitated workshops, and collaborative field projects.