Salal Harvester Local Ecological Knowledge, Harvest Practices and Understory Management on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Despite growing interest in traditional and local ecological knowledge for conservation and resource management, the role of migrant resource users is largely unexplored. Challenging many assumptions about what constitutes “local knowledge,” migrant and immigrant harvesters of non-timber forest products on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington possess useful ecological knowledge of overstory–understory relationships and how forestry practices affect understory biological and commercial production. Harvesters of salal (Gaultheria shallon), a shrub used in the multi-million dollar floral greens industry, were interviewed in Mason County, Washington in 2001–2003. Interviews revealed that harvesters possess different kinds of resource management knowledge depending on whether they are experienced harvesters or more recent newcomers to the area. These differences may also correlate with differences in their harvesting practices. Understanding how resource management knowledge differs between experienced and newcomer harvesters can inform forest managers in their efforts to develop effective management and permitting policies for floral greens and other non-timber forest resources in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Mapping Cod: Fisheries Science,Fish Harvesters’ Ecological Knowledge and Cod Migrations in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Some recent scholarship has focused on integrating local and/or traditional knowledge with conventional scientific information in fisheries management to improve the factual foundation of and strengthen support for management decisions. This article compares a sequence of historical and contemporary scientific texts and maps about the migrations and stock structure of cod in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence with texts and maps generated by the authors through the collection, aggregation and interpretation of commercial fish harvesters’ ecological knowledge. We find that the relationship between fisheries science and harvesters’ ecological knowledge is dynamic and has changed over time, and that both are ‘situated’ socially and ecologically. Overall, each paints an incomplete picture of cod movements and stock structure but the knowledge of harvesters provides a valuable complement to scientific information, particularly at the local scale, and has the potential to contribute to the identification of local cod stocks that are new to science and management. We end by considering how this case study informs the larger discussion about the challenges and potential benefits of the so-called integration project to bring together science and the ecological knowledge of fish harvesters.

From Orders to Borders: Toward a Sustainable Co-managed Lobster Fishery in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland

Over the last two decades, demands by fish harvesters for greater input into policy-making, combined with government cutbacks to fisheries management agencies, have resulted in a proliferation of community-based fisheries comanagement projects in many countries. One such example is found on Newfoundland’s Eastport Peninsula, where a group of lobster harvesters have formed a unique partnership with federal government bureaucrats and university researchers in an effort to protect local lobster stocks from increasing fishing pressure. This paper draws upon interviews with lobster harvesters and others with close ties to the Eastport project in exploring the reasons for the development of this initiative and identifying existing and potential obstacles to its long-term success.

Community Based Fisheries Management and Fisher Livelihoods: Bangladesh Case Studies

Poor fishers in Bangladesh have been disadvantaged by policies that favored powerful people leasing fishing rights. Community-based management was expected to improve fisher access, livelihoods, and the sustainability of fisheries. The impacts of community management in three floodplain waterbodies differed according to the environment and property rights. Where a set of fishers jointly held exclusive rights to a small enclosed lake they increased production by stocking fish and shared the returns. This strategy is productive but attracts competition for profits and fish consumption was unchanged. Access to capture fisheries in floodplain waterbodies enables the poor to catch diverse small fish for their consumption. Yet sustainability requires limits on fishing. Fish sanctuaries were respected, yet catches per day fell when more people from several villages increased fishing effort in a large wetland, while a tightly knit community restored the fishery in a smaller floodplain. Community organizations will need recognition of their long-term use rights to overcome future threats.

Why Folkbiology Matters: Resource Conflict Despite Shared Goals and Knowledge

There is a continuing controversy over Native American fishing and hunting rights. We show that Native American (Menominee) and European American fish experts have a common knowledge base and share values and attitudes associated with fishing practices (though organized around different ethical principles). Nonetheless, perceived group differences are dramatic (especially European American perceptions of Native Americans). Cultural differences in models of nature and associated inference processes appear to mediate these stereotypes and may hold the key to reducing intergroup conflict over resources.

Indigenous Knowledge of Rock Kangaroo Ecology in Western Arnhem Land, Australia

Indigenous peoples of western Arnhem Land, central northern Australia, have detailed knowledge of the rock kangaroos of the region, species that are little known to science. Information about the ecology of the species is required for their conservation and management. Ethnoecological studies can assist senior indigenous people with transfer of knowledge and can give respect and meaningful employment to those involved. We used semidirected interviews in the regional vernacular, Bininj Kunwok, to record indigenous knowledge of the ecology of the four rock kangaroo species (Petrogale brachyotis, P. concinna, Macropus bernardus and M. robustus). Discussions focussed on habitat preferences, diet, activity patterns, reproduction, predation, and hunting practices. The ethnoecological knowledge of the rock kangaroo species was extensive, and both complemented and extended that reported in the scientific literature. In contrast to scientific understanding of taxonomy and ecology, consultants recognized the rock kangaroos as a natural group. They also described subtle differences in the species’ comparative ecology. The methodology used proved highly successful and we recommend recording indigenous knowledge of the ecology of fauna species in the local vernacular wherever possible. This study is one of the most comprehensive ethnozoological studies of a group of species undertaken in Australia.

Amazon Forestry Tranformed: Integrating Knowledge for Smallholder Timber Managemet in Eastern Brazil

Recent discussions of local knowledge emphasize its dynamic nature invoking local peoples’ ability to effectively integrate traditional or local with science-based or “modern” knowledges. The smallholder timber industry of the Amazon’s estuarine floodplain provides an outstanding example of local patterns of resource management and economic activities transformed from within by smallholder farmers who participated in the industrial timber boom of the 1970s and 1980s. These farmers of eastern Amazonia have developed a vertically integrated local industry based on expertise reflecting profound locally developed knowledge of specific forests and management of ecological processes, individual observation and experimentation, as well as concepts and practices derived from temporary employment by large-scale industrial timber firms. At each stage of the smallholder forestry process—from managing natural regeneration to running small sawmills and marketing lumber—local managers apply an innovative set of practices reflecting their diverse experiences. This combination of technical, market, and ecological knowledge results in forests, timber markets, and economic patterns that do not correspond to many of the widely-held generalizations concerning either local or industrial tropical timber exploitation. This article uses data from 7 years of research in the Amazon floodplain.

Best practices for improved governance of coral reef marine protected areas

Coral reef marine protected areas (MPA) are widely distributed around the globe for social and ecological reasons. Relatively few of these MPAs are well managed. This review examines the governance of coral reef MPAs and the means to improve coral reef MPA management. It highlights common governance challenges, such as confused goals, conflict, and unrealistic attempts to scale up beyond institutional capacity. Recommendations, based on field experience and empirical evidence from around the world, are made for best practices at various stages of MPA implementation.

Interdependence of Common-Pool Resources: Lessons from a Set of Nested Catchments in Australia

The concept of common-pool resources (CPRs) has evolved from consideration of single-use to multiple-use resources, though the focus remains predominantly on single natural resources such as water. However, both ecological connections and human actions mean that one CPR can exist interdependently rather than in isolation from others. This article investigates this interdependence with a case study of a set of nested CPRs in the Lockyer, the Brisbane River, and Moreton Bay catchments in Southeast Queensland, Australia. An in-depth case study involving a review of relevant literature, conceptual analysis and 6 years of participant observation by one of the authors, shows that the catchment has several interdependent CPRs, linked through ecological processes and mediated by human actions that create positive or negative externalities for many resource users. We argue that the concept of “externality” can enhance our understanding of, and ability to recognize, the socioecological interdependence among CPRs and their users in a catchment, which is critical to clarify the extent of shared interests needed to underpin the design and use of appropriate collaborative management approaches.

“Berry Patch” As a Kind of Place—the Ethnoecology of Black Huckleberry in Northwestern Canada

The Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en of Northwestern British Columbia formerly used landscape burning to manage patches of black huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), the most important plant resource of their seasonal round. In view of its significance one might postulate that managed sites would conform to a biophysical or ecological type to maximize return for effort. However, a survey of a number of traditionally managed sites indicated that managed sites are characterized by wide variation in biophysical attributes including elevation, aspect and moisture regime, while proximity to fishing sites, village sites, or sites for harvest of alpine resources proved to be a common factor in known historic berry patch sites. We conclude that characterization of the ideal site type for aboriginal V. membranaceum management must include the economy and social institutions of the local First Nations and requires an enhanced appreciation for the sophistication of the strategies and techniques employed in their management and utilization of the species.

The Social Aspects of Fishing Effort

While economic literature inspired by the “tragedy of the commons” has emphasised people’s tendency to increase fishing effort beyond desirable levels, sociologists and anthropologists who have studied the social aspects of fishing have often emphasised the capacity of these factors to restrict fishing effort. The article addresses the influence of social norms and communication on fishing effort in an empirical study of the Atlantic blue whiting fishery. The data were generated at a time when this fishery had yet to see efficient quota regulations, and had been subject to a rapid growth in fishing effort, making it the largest fishery in the Atlantic. The article argues that social norms and communication patterns in the fishing fleet create a synergic effect of co-operation and competition on fishing effort. The article questions the view that social norms and communication necessarily represent a solution to the tragedy of the commons.

Mapping the geographic distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aglaia bourdillonii</Emphasis> Gamble (Meliaceae), an endemic and threatened plant,using ecological niche modeling

Aglaia bourdillonii is a plant narrowly endemic to the southern portion of the Western Ghats (WG), in peninsular India. To understand its ecological and geographic distribution, we used ecological niche modeling (ENM) based on detailed distributional information recently gathered, in relation to detailed climatic data sets. The ENMs successfully reconstructed key features of the species’ geographic distribution, focusing almost entirely on the southern WG. Much of the species’ distributional potential is already under protection, but our analysis allows identification of key zones for additional protection, all of which are adjacent to existing protected areas. ENM provides a useful tool for understanding the natural history of such rare and endangered species.

Characterization and management of the commercial sector of the Pohnpei coral reef fishery,Micronesia

Commercial coral reef fisheries in Pohnpei (Micronesia) extract approximately 1,521 kg of reef fish daily (∼500 MT year⁻¹) from 152 km² of surrounding reef. More than 153 species were represented during surveys, with 25 species very common or common within combined-gear catch. Acanthurids contributed the greatest to catch volume, with bluespine unicornfish, Naso unicornis, and orangespine unicornfish, Naso lituratus, among the most frequently observed herbivores. Nighttime spearfishing was the dominant fishing method and inner lagoon areas were primarily targeted. A seasonal sales ban (March–April), intended to reduce pressure on reproductively active serranids, significantly increased the capture volume of other families. Catch was significantly greater during periods of low lunar illumination, suggesting higher fishing success or greater effort, or both. The marketed catch was dominated by juveniles and small adults, based on fishes of known size at sexual maturity. Artificially depressed market prices appear to be catalyzing (potential or realized) overfishing by increasing the volume of fish needed to offset rising fuel prices. These results support the need for comprehensive fisheries management that produces sustainable fishing and marketing practices and promotes shared management and enforced responsibilities between communities and the state. To be effective, management should prohibit nighttime spearfishing. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Albino Weddell seal at Cape Shirreff,Livingston Island,Antarctica

To our knowledge, this paper is the first record/report of a juvenile light-coloured Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) at Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island in January 1998, determining that it was an albino individual. Based on available literature, three cases of albino seals have been reported exclusively for Harbour seal pups, and no albino has been reported for Antarctic pagophilic true seals. Therefore, this is the first confirmed case of albinism in Antarctic pagophilic true seals species, indicating that this phenomenon is indeed of a rare occurrence.

Corpus Interruptus: Biotech Drugs, Insurance Providers and the Treatment of Breast Cancer

In researching the biomedically-engineered drug Neulasta (filgrastim), a breast cancer patient becomes aware of the extent to which knowledge about the development and marketing of drugs influences her decisions with regard to treatment. Time spent on understanding the commercial interests of insurers and pharmaceutical companies initially thwarts but ultimately aids the healing process. This first-person narrative calls for physicians to recognize that the alignment of commercial interests transgresses the patient’s humanity.

“Does a Glass of White Wine Taste Like a Glass of Domain Sigalas Santorini Asirtiko Athiri 2005?” A Biosemiotic Approach to Wine-Tasting

The object of our paper is to examine how wine-related knowledge and practices play an important role in determining the respective flavour experiences of novice wine drinkers and sommeliers. We defend the idea that sensation is informed by knowledge, as it circulates in a cultural environment. Biosemiotics has developed appropriate concepts helping us understand how the same wine can generate diverging experiences. Within a biosemiotic framework, we consider wine flavours as relational, semiosic experiences produced by the convergence of sensory-discriminative, motivational-affective and cognitive-evaluative factors. Drawing from fundamental biosemiotics we argue that these factors vary according to the creature and its simultaneously biological and cultural umwelt. We conclude by examining a series of empirical studies consolidating the idea that sensation is informed by knowledge and language.