Showing papers on "Traditional knowledge published in 2001"

Applied ethnobotany: people, wild plant use and conservation

Abstract: Its wise and sensitive approach to working with local people will be relevant in situations throughout the world.' ECOS 'The numerous diagrams, tables of data, information flow charts, fieldwork sketches etc. give a great vibrancy to the work... It deserves a wide readership.' TEG News Wild or non-cultivated plants are crucial to the lives of a large portion of the world's population, providing low-cost building materials, fuel, food supplements, medicines, tools and sources of income. Despite their importance, their vulnerability to harvesting and other social impacts is not well understood. Applied Ethnobotany is the first practical guide to be published on how to manage wild plant species sustainably. This detailed manual on wild plant resources sets out the approaches and field methods involved in participatory work between conservationists, researchers and the primary resource users. Supported by extensive illustrations, it explains how local people can learn to assess the pressures on plant resources and what steps to take to ensure their continued availability. For all those involved in resource management decisions regarding plant species and diversity, and in particular those studying or working in conservation, rural development and park management, this guide is invaluable. Published with WWF, UNESCO and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Discovering indigenous science: Implications for science education†

Abstract: Indigenous science relates to both the science knowledge of long-resident, usually oral culture peoples, as well as the science knowledge of all peoples who as participants in culture are affected by the worldview and relativist interests of their home communities. This article explores aspects of multicultural science and pedagogy and describes a rich and well-documented branch of indigenous science known to biologists and ecologists as traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). Although TEK has been generally inaccessible, educators can now use a burgeoning science-based TEK literature that documents numerous examples of time-proven, ecologically relevant, and cost effective indigenous science. Disputes regarding the universality of the standard scientific account are of critical importance for science educators because the definition of science is a de facto “gatekeeping” device for determining what can be included in a school science curriculum and what cannot. When Western modern science (WMS) is defined as universal it does displace revelation-based knowledge (i.e., creation science); however, it also displaces pragmatic local indigenous knowledge that does not conform with formal aspects of the “standard account.” Thus, in most science classrooms around the globe, Western modern science has been taught at the expense of indigenous knowledge. However, because WMS has been implicated in many of the world's ecological disasters, and because the traditional wisdom component of TEK is particularly rich in time-tested approaches that foster sustainability and environmental integrity, it is possible that the universalist “gatekeeper” can be seen as increasingly problematic and even counter productive. This paper describes many examples from Canada and around the world of indigenous people's contributions to science, environmental understanding, and sustainability. The authors argue the view that Western or modern science is just one of many sciences that need to be addressed in the science classroom. We conclude by presenting instructional strategies that can help all science learners negotiate border crossings between Western modern science and indigenous science. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed85:6–34, 2001.

Fikret Berkes. Sacred Ecology: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management. Philadelphia: Taylor and Francis, 1999. [Book Review]

Abstract: Indigenous or traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has come under new attention both through the political sphere, in the form of self-determination and land rights issues and through the scientific, in areas such as pharmacology and environmental management, and both are frequently controversial. This book fulfils a valuable role in this topical and critical debate, provoking questions that force scientists towards their original role of 'natural philosophers', considering the essence of what is 'knowledge', 'truth' and 'value'.

The Wealth of Knowledge: Intellectual Capital and the Twenty-first Century Organization

Abstract: From the Publisher: In Thomas A. Stewart’s bestselling first book, Intellectual Capital, he redefined the priorities of businesses around the world, demonstrating that the most important assets companies own today are often not tangible goods, equipment, financial capital, or market share, but the intangibles: patents, the knowledge of workers, and the information about customers and channels and past experience that a company has in its institutional memory. Now in his new book, The Wealth of Knowledge, Stewart—widely acknowledged as the world’s leading expert on working with intellectual capital in today’s knowledge economy—reveals how today’s companies are applying the concept of intellectual capital into day-to-day operations to dramatically increase their success in the marketplace. Arguing that companies can make untold millions of dollars by managing knowledge more effectively—and save millions more—Stewart offers executives and managers compelling accounts of how leading companies around the world are successfully tackling the practical issues involved in today’s knowledge economy. The heart of the book is a revolutionary 4-step preocess that shows how to put intellectual capital to work to improve performance and profitablity, as well as manage knowledge processes. He goes on to discuss how companies can better utilize their current assets and enhance their knowledge resources for the future. Questioning many of the assumptions that have ruled business in the twentieth century, he addresses such critical and fundamental issues as why companies exist, how they should be organized and how people should be compensated. Withhis customary fearlessness and foresight, he plunges into the thick of the controversial arena of measuring and accounting, as well-an increasingly difficult task when a corporation’s assets are intangible. The Wealth of Knowledge not only sets out the latest thinking in creating and managing knowledge assets, but provides a detailed course of action for corporations trying to navigate their way in the world of knowledge economy.

Ethnobotanical Approaches of Traditional Medicine Studies: Some Experiences From Asia

Abstract: Ethnobotany, as a research field of science, has been widely used for the documentation of indigenous knowledge on the use of plants and for providing an inventory of useful plants from local flora in Asian countries. Plants that are used for traditional herbal medicine in different countries are an important part of these studies. However, in some countries in recent years, ethnobotanical studies have been used for the discovery of new drugs and new drug development. In general, experiences gained from ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicinal studies in China and Himalayan countries have helped drug production and new drug development. At the same time, in many cases, over-harvesting, degradation of medical plants, and loss of traditional medical knowledge in local communities are common problems in these resource areas. Issues of indigenous knowledge, intellectual property rights, and uncontrolled transboundary trade in medicinal plants occur frequently in the region. This paper discusses ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicinal studies, in reference to experiences from China and Himalayan countries, with an emphasis on the conservation of traditional medical knowledge and medical plant resources.

On Biocultural Diversity: Linking Language, Knowledge, and the Environment

Abstract: It is estimated that of the more than 6,000 oral languages in use today (Grimes 1996), as many as 90 percent may be replaced by dominant languages by the end of the Twenty-first century (Krauss 1992; UNESCO 2003:4) The central thesis of the volume under review is that this predicted decline in linguistic diversity can only be prevented if the interdependence of linguistic, cultural, and biological diversity is recognised This interdependence is reflected in the term BIOCULTURAL DIVERSITY One aspect of culture and language which is under threat in many language communities is traditional ecological knowledge: the concepts and terminology which inform a community’s understanding of and interaction with the natural world If a language ceases to be used in this domain, the associated knowledge is lost to the community, and when this knowledge is lost, so—often—is the way of life which it supported With the loss of a way of life, it is a short step to the loss of other aspects of culture and ultimately to assimilation into the dominant language community, resulting in language death

Contributions of traditional knowledge to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic

Abstract: Despite much scientific research, a considerable amount of uncertainty exists concerning the rate and extent of climate change in the Arctic, and how change will affect regional climatic processes and northern ecosystems. Can an expanded scope of knowledge and inquiry augment understandings of climate change in the north? The extensive use of the land and the coastal ocean in Inuit communities provides a unique source of local environmental expertise that is guided by generations of experience. Environmental change associated with variations in weather and climate has not gone unnoticed by communities that are experiencing change firsthand. Little research has been done to explore the contributions of traditional knowledge to climate-change research. Based in part on a collaborative research project in Sachs Harbour, western Canadian Arctic, this paper discusses five areas in which traditional knowledge may complement scientific approaches to understanding climate change in the Canadian Arctic. These are the use of traditional knowledge as local-scale expertise; as a source of climate history and baseline data; in formulating research questions and hypotheses; as insight into impacts and adaptation in Arctic communities; and for long-term, communitybased monitoring. These five areas of potential convergence provide a conceptual framework for bridging the gap between traditional knowledge and western science, in the context of climate-change research.

Defining "Science" in a Multicultural World: Implications for Science Education.

Abstract: In today's schools there are often competing accounts of natural phenomena, especially when schools are located in multicultural communities. There are also competing claims about what counts as science. This article examines the definition of science put forward from multicultural perspectives in contrast to a universalist perspective on science; that is, the Standard Account. The article argues that good science explanations will always be universal even if indigenous knowledge is incorporated as scientific knowledge. What works best is still of interest to most, and although one may hate to use the word hegemony, Western science would co-opt and dominate indigenous knowledge if it were incorporated as science. Therefore, indigenous knowledge is better off as a different kind of knowledge that can be valued for its own merits, play a vital role in science education, and maintain a position of independence from which it can critique the practices of science and the Standard Account. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed85:50–67, 2001.

Indigenous environmental knowledge and its transformations : critical anthropological perspectives

Abstract: 1. Ethnobiology and Ethnoecology in the Context of National Laws and International Agreements Affecting Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Traditional Resources and Intellectual Property Rights 2. " We Wander in Our Ancestors' Yard": Sea Cucumber Gathering in Aru, Eastern Indonesia 3. The Construction and Destruction of "indigenous" Knowledge in India's Joint Forest Management Program 4. Claims to Knowledge, Claims to Control: Environmental Conflict in the Great Himalayan National Park, India 5. Locating Indigenous Environmental Knowledge in Indonesia 6. " Indigenous" Regionalism in Japan 7. The Use of Fire in Northeastern Luzon (Philippines): Conflicting Views of Local People, Scientists and Government Officials 8. Indigenous Knowledge Versus Jungli Thinking: A Case Study of Natural Rubber Production 9. Enclaved Knowledge: Indignant Representations of Environmental Management and Development among the Kalasha of Pakistan 10. Endangered Forest, Endangered People: Environmentalist Representations of Indigenous Knowledge 11. Indigenous Knowledge: Prospects and Limitations

Glaciers and Climate Change: Perspectives from Oral Tradition

Abstract: In northwestern North America, glaciers figure prominently in both indigenous oral traditions and narratives of geophysical sciences. These perspectives intersect in discussions about global warming, predicted to be extreme at Arctic and Subarctic latitudes and an area of concern for both local people and scientists. Indigenous people in northwestern North America have experienced climate variability associated with the latter phases of the Little Ice Age (approximately 1550-1850). This paper draws on oral traditions passed down from that period, some recorded between 1900 and the early 1950s in coastal Alaska Tlingit communities and others recorded more recently with elders from Yukon First Nations. The narratives concern human travel to the Gulf of Alaska foreshore at the end of the Little Ice Age from the Copper River, from the Alaska panhandle, and from the upper Alsek-Tatshenshini drainage, as well as observations about glacier advances, retreats, and surges. The paper addresses two large policy debates. One concerns the incorporation of local knowledge into scientific research. The second addresses the way in which oral tradition contributes another variety of historical understanding in areas of the world where written documents are relatively recent. Academic debates, whether in science or in history, too often evaluate local expertise as data or evidence, rather than as knowledge or theory that might contribute different perspectives to academic questions.

Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development: Historical lessons and emerging issues

Abstract: (2001). Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development: Historical lessons and emerging issues. Journal of Human Development: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 287-309.

Knowledge across cultures : a contribution to dialogue among civilizations

Abstract: This work gives voice to scholars from three major eastern civilizations who have entered into dialogue with scholars from the west. Themes covered include knowledge transfer across civilizations; indigenous knowledge and modern education; and past and present Chinese influences.

Toward a Strategy for Undertaking Cross-Cultural Collaborative Research

Abstract: Indigenous peoples have expressed concerns about conventional forms of research into their lives. In response, some researchers have developed culturally appropriate models of social science research. This article reviews the author's experiences in addressing indigenous peoples' concerns about research, and hence her work toward developing a culturally appropriate and collaborative approach to cross-cultural research. A number of methodological and conceptual issues arise in cross-cultural collaborative research, including the importance of adopting a culturally appropriate research methodology, the role of the researcher, participation in the research process, rights to "traditional" indigenous knowledge, and, indeed, the nature of research-based knowledge. Each of these issues is discussed in the context of undertaking collaborative research into the lives of New Zealand's indigenous peoples, the Maori. The article also reviews the issues that arose when negotiating a research agreement between the Uni...

Ethnobotanicals in Ghana: reviving and modernising age-old farmer practice

Abstract: Steve Belmain and Phil Stevenson from the Natural Resources Institute in the UK describe how farmers' indigenous knowledge has improved grain storage practice through botanical pesticides and how it can be optimised through understanding the modes of action of the active components.

Water harvesting: indigenous knowledge for the future of the drier environments

Abstract: Water harvesting: indigenous knowledge for the future of the drier environment , Water harvesting: indigenous knowledge for the future of the drier environment , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

A Systems Perspective on the Conservation and Erosion of Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge in Central India

Abstract: Many scholars are concerned that globalization and “scientization” of local management systems threatens the survival of valuable indigenous knowledge of agriculture and agroforestry. This paper addresses such concerns by drawing on a field study of knowledge about tree and crop cultivation in central India to examine dynamics of knowledge system change. It uses concepts from systems studies, including hierarchy, adaptability, connectedness, and scale, to show how parts of indigenous knowledge systems might be more likely to be lost or preserved under various socio-economic circumstances. It then suggests some concrete lessons for those interested in conserving indigenous knowledge: that knowledge is best conserved in situ; that concepts can be more important to communicate and preserve than mere facts or practices; that researchers might identify those parts of a knowledge system most in need of conservation attention; and that technical innovation might allow local-scale indigenous knowledge to interface more effectively with large-scale global technologies.

Interactions between agroecosystems and rural communities

Abstract: Introduction, C.B. Flora Shifting Agroecosystems and Communities, C.B. Flora Altered Landscapes and Transformed Livelihoods: Banana Companies, Panama Disease, and Rural Communities on the North Coast of Honduras, J. Soluri Community Culture and the Evolution of Hog Production: Eastern and Western Oklahoma, C. Mayda Forest Conservation and Degradation in a Subsubsistence Agricultural System: Community and Forestry in Mexico, D. Klooster Community, Fruits, and Vegetables for Export: The Impact on Two Mexican Ecosystems and Rural Communities, M.B. Nock Communities of Interest and Agroecosystem Restoration: Streuobst in Europe, F. Herzog and A. Oetmann Transhumant Communities and Agroecosystems in Patagonia, M. Bendini Farm-Community Entrepreneurial Partnerships in the Midwest, C.B. Flora, G. McIsaac, S. Gasteyer, and M. Kroma A Learning Approach to Community Agroecosystem Management, C. Lightfoot, M. Fernandez, R. Noble, R. Ramirez, A. Groot, E. Fernandez-Baca, F. Shao, G. Muro, S. Okelabo, A. Mugenyi, I. Bekalo, A. Rianga, and L. Obare Bridges to Sustainability: Links Between Agriculture, Community, and the Ecosystem, L.M. Butler and R. Carkner Rural Community Leadership in the Lake Benton Watershed, W. Monson The Winnebago Tribe's Agroforestry Project: Linking Indigenous Knowledge, Resource Management Planning, and Community Development, L.C. Rule, M.B. Szymanski, and J.P. Colletti Innovation in Indigenous Production Systems to Maintain Tradition, M. de Lourdes Baron and D. Barkin Ethnicity, Multiple Communities, and the Promotion of Conservation: Strawberries in California, D.C. Mountjoy Ecobelts: Reconnecting Agriculture and Communities, M.M. Schoenberger, G. Bentrup, and C. A. Francis Afterward: An Optimistic Future Scenario, C.A. Francis Index

Owning Culture: Authorship, Ownership, and Intellectual Property Law

Abstract: Owning Culture demonstrates how intellectual property law has expanded to allow for private ownership of a remarkable array of things, from the patenting of human genes linked to breast cancer to the trademarking of the phrases "home style" and "freedom of ownership." This book examines diverse areas of contemporary life affected by intellectual property law, including sampling practices in hip-hop music, the appropriation of Third World indigenous knowledge about the medical uses of plants, the effects of seed patenting on farming, and the impact of copyright law on folk music-making. By placing under scruntiny the individualistic, Western conception of the "author" that grounds intellectual property law, Kembrew McLeod shows how borrowing practices have been - and continue to be - central to cultural production. Additionally, this book highlights how intellectual property law facilitates the privatization of culture and the transfer of power into the hands of wealthy individuals and corporations. Clearly written, thoughtful, and thought provoking, Owning Culture provides an innovative approach to the study of culture and law.

Rubber cultivation and sustainable development in Xishuangbanna, China

Abstract: SUMMARY Xishuangbanna in southwest China is a tropical and subtropical region with extraordinary traditional cultures and attractive landscapes. Rubber cultivation is a key production source undergoing rapid growth. It contributes substantially to improvement of the local economic situation and partially replaces traditional slash-and-burn agriculture in the uplands, but it also results in biodiversity loss and environmental degradation and disturbs the peaceful life of the indigenous people. We discuss the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) preserved in daily practices and the present types of rubber plantations and suggest the application of TEK, in particular, the indigenous land-use experience to rubber cultivation, in order to promote sustainability in local economic development and ecological well-being.

Intellectual Property and Information Control: Philosophic Foundations and Contemporary Issues

Abstract: Computer technology and the proliferation of digital networks have radically altered how ideas and informa-tion are gathered and manipulated Debate over the control and ownership of digital information and intellectual property has been waged by two factions Standing in the way of the cyberpunks, hackers, and net surfers who claim that "information wants to be free" and that intellectual property rights give undue credit to authors and inventors, are the collected canons of Anglo-American copyright, patent, and trade secret law Defenders of these institutions typically argue that granting rights to authors and inventors is necessary for the optimal production of intellectual works and corresponding gains in social utility This conflict between public use and private right raises serious problems: Are abstract ideas and information proper subjects of ownership? What role should privacy rights play? How does the violation of intellectual property rights compare morally to the violation of physical property rights? In Intellectual Property and Information Control, Adam Moore provides answers and strategies for dealing with these and other questions while mounting a philosophical defense of rights to intellectual and intangible property How we address the tensions between intellectual property rights, public access to information, and individual privacy will profoundly shape the twenty-first century A policy that allows too much access may stymie innovation and cause individuals to isolate themselves At the other extreme, huge, multinational corporations may hold as intangible property vast amounts of knowledge, including sensitive personal information Moore proposes a Lockean model of intellectual property and information control along with recommendations for changes in Anglo-American intellectual property institutions Through discussions of patent law, fair use and practical problems such as privacy in the workplace, encryption and public policy, Moore demonstrates that intellectual and intangible property rights exist along with privacy rights The latter will sometimes constrain what can be done with the former Moore offers a carefully balanced appraisal of where the free flow of information needs to be checked by the walls of privacy Intellectual Property and Information Control will be of interest to philosophers, legal scholars, and sociologists

Water: A First Nations' Spiritual and Ecological Perspective.

Abstract: Water quality and availability is an urgent global concern. This paper documents, through the use of ethnographic research methods, First Nations� concerns and perspectives about water. The paper�s scope is primarily limited to the views of three Elders from the southern Interior of British Columbia: Mary Thomas from the Secwepemc, Millie Michell from the Nlaka�pamux, and Mary Louie from the Syilx Nation. Secondary literature sources complement the Elders� sharing of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). The Elders� emphasis on the spiritual impor-tance of water is contrasted with Western science�s emphasis on water�s unique physical and chemical properties. This fundamental difference raises questions about Western science�s approach to freshwater ecosystem management and study. Ultimately, this paper documents the wisdom of highly respected Elders about water in relation to the culture and freshwater ecosystems of South-Central British Columbia.

Intellectual Property Rights and the Third World

Abstract: Issues of generation, protection and exploitation of intellectual property (IP) are assuming increasing importance. The new IP regimes will have wide ranging socio-economic, technological and political impact. As per the obligations under the Traderelated Aspects of Intellectual Property Systems (TRIPS), all the members of World Trade Organization (WTO) are supposed to implement national systems of intellectual property rights following an agreed set of minimum standards. However, there is an increasing feeling that harmonization is demanded from those that are not equal, either economically or institutionally. The major concerns of the Third World about such harmonization and the new challenge it faces in diverse areas of intellectual property protection are discussed and some suggestions about the way ahead are made. The discussion includes the need for a fair play in technology transfer, creation of 'favourable economics' of essential medicines from the point of view of the Third World, protection of traditional knowledge, etc. The creation of Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (an essentially Indian initiative) and linking it to the International Patent Classification System (IPC) through a Traditional Knowledge Resource Classification System is an important conceptual step forward. The possible models for material transfer and benefit sharing when products are created based on community knowledge are also discussed. Other discussions include the challenge of bridging the divide between the Third World and other developed nations, with special emphasis on intellectual property information sharing, capacity building with creation of appropriate physical and intellectual infrastructure and awareness building. It is argued that the Third World should negotiate a new 'TRIPS plus' which means 'TRIPS plus equity and ethics'.