Correspondence between Scientific and Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Rain Forest Classification by the Non-Indigenous Ribereños in Peruvian Amazonia

Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a potential source of ecological information. Typically TEK has been documented at the species level, but habitat data would be equally valuable for conservation applications. We compared the TEK forest type classification of ribereños, the non-indigenous rural peasantry of Peruvian Amazonia, to a floristic classification produced using systematically collected botanical data. Indicator species analysis of pteridophytes in 300 plots detected two forest types on non-flooded tierra firme, each associated with distinct soil texture and fertility, and one forest type in areas subject to flooding. Nine TEK forest types were represented in the same set of plots. Each TEK forest type was consistently (>82%) associated with one of the three floristic classes and there were also clear parallels in the ecological characterizations of the forest types. Ribereños demonstrated clear preferences for certain forest types when selecting sites for slash-and-burn agriculture and hunting. Our results indicate that the non-tribal inhabitants of Amazonia possess valuable TEK that could be used in biodiversity inventories and wildlife management and conservation for characterizing primary rain forest habitats in Amazonia.     

Pyrenean Pastoralists’ Ecological Knowledge: Documentation and Application to Natural Resource Management and Adaptation

Pastoral production systems in the Spanish Pyrenees have changed dramatically in recent decades, leading to the loss of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). We documented TEK of pastoralists from two valleys in the western Central Pyrenees of Aragón and explored its potential applications to resource management and adaptation. Pyrenean pastoralists possess extensive knowledge of relationships between terrain, climate, vegetation and animal nutrition and behavior. TEK could contribute to sustainable stewardship and facilitate adaptation by informing pasture monitoring; providing traditional practices to manage mountain vegetation; and preserving knowledge of extensive livestock production strategies, such as transhumance. Institutional barriers to applying TEK include weak economic cooperation among stockmen, their dependence on EU subsidies, and lack of voice in regional government decisions about local resources. A more collaborative, place-based stewardship of the Central Pyrenees might begin with direct involvement of pastoralists in designing monitoring of pasture conditions and vegetation type changes.     

Traditional ecological knowledge underlying herding decisions of pastoralists

Pastoralists have traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), which is important for their livelihoods and for policies and interventions. Pastoralism is under pressure, however, which may result in a decline of pastoral lifestyle and its related TEK. We, therefore, addressed the following objectives (i) to inventorise and assess how pastoralists characterise and value soils and forages in their environment, (ii) to analyse how soil, forage and livestock (i.e. cattle) characteristics relate to herding decisions and (iii) to determine whether TEK underlying herding decisions differs across generations. Data were collected through focus groups and individual interviews with 72 pastoralists, belonging to three generations and to three agro-ecological zones. Using a three-point scale (high, medium, low), four grasses and three tree forages were assessed in terms of nutritional quality for milk, meat, health and strength. Using their own visual criteria, pastoralists identified five different soils, which they selected for herding at different times of the year. Pastoralists stated that Pokuri was the best soil because of its low moisture content, whereas Karaal was the worst because forage hardly grows on it. They stated that perennials, such as Andropogon gayanus and Loxoderra ledermannii, were of high nutritional quality, whereas annuals such as Andropogon pseudapricus and Hyparrhenia involucrata were of low nutritional quality. Afzelia africana was perceived of high quality for milk production, whereas Khaya senegalensis had the highest quality for meat, health and strength. Pastoralists first used soil, then forage and finally livestock characteristics in their herding decisions. Pastoralists’ TEK was not associated with their generations, but with their agro-ecological zones. This study suggests that pastoralists had common and detailed TEK about soils, forages and livestock characteristics, underlying their herding decisions. To conclude, pastoralists use a holistic approach, combining soil, vegetation and livestock TEK in herding decisions. Such TEK can guide restoration or improvement of grazing lands, and land use planning.     

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.     

广义森林生态效益货币量的空间模型分析

从广义森林生态效益计量概念出发,提出了广义森林生态效益货币量和森林生态环境空间的定义。根据广义森林生态环境的空间模型分析概念和实现空间模型分析的3个基本条件,采用Arcview和Autocad图形向GIS空间数据转换的方法对1986、1949和1896年黑龙江省森林资源空间图形资料和反推的小班资源数据库,通过环境图象叠置分析获得森林资源与环境的空间图象,建立广义森林生态效益经济计量模型,由此实现广义森林生态效益的GIS空间分析。结果表明：森林生态效益货币量的分布近似呈正态分布,各森林生态效益经济总量各占一定比重。利用GIS空间分析功能作出的黑龙江省森林生态效益主产区的空间分布图显示,黑龙江省森林生态效益的主产区主要分布在镜泊湖、兴凯湖、汤旺河、嫩江等江河的源头。通过分析黑龙江省森林生态效益货币总量的动态,得出1986年的黑龙江省森林生态效益比1949年下降38％,比原生状态的1896年下降59％。森林生态效益的下降与森林资源的数量和质量的下降呈正相关,森林生态效益的变化总是要滞后于森林资源的变化。     

Use of indigenous ecological knowledge of the Maasai pastoralists for assessing rangeland biodiversity in Tanzania

This paper incorporates the indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) of the Maasai pastoralists and ecological methods to assess effects of grazing and cropping on rangeland biodiversity at macro‐ and micro‐landscape scales in northern Tanzania. The joint surveys with pastoralists identified indicator plant species and their associations with micro‐landscapes and livestock grazing suitability (i.e. for cattle and small ruminant grazing), while traditional calf‐pasture reserves (alalili pl. alalilia) were evaluated for preservation of rangeland biodiversity. The macro‐landscapes comprising the cool high plateau (osupuko pl. isipuki) and montane forest highland (endim) were included in the survey. At micro‐landscape scales, the osupuko was classified into uplands (orkung'u), slopes (andamata) and dry valley bottomlands (ayarata). The micro‐landscapes were assessed in terms of herbaceous plant species and woody species richness and risks of soil erosion. Biodiversity varied at both the macro‐ and micro‐landscape scales and in accordance with the land‐use types. Greater plant species diversity and less erosion risks were found in the pastoral landscapes than in the agro‐pastoral landscapes. The calf‐grazing pastures had greater herbaceous species richness than the non‐calf pastures, which in turn had more woody species. The study concludes that the indigenous systems of landscape classification provides a valuable basis for assessing rangeland biodiversity, which ecologists should incorporate into ecological surveys of the rangelands in East Africa in the future.     

传统生态知识的民族生态学分析框架

传统生态知识是民族生态学研究的核心范畴,国外已有多年的研究基础,国内的相关研究正是方兴未艾。通过文献查询和比较分析等方法,介绍了国外已有的传统生态知识的民族生态学分析框架的3个模型:知识-实践-信仰的三角形框架;本土经验知识-资源管理知识-社会制度知识-世界观知识的四椭圆框架;事实观察-管理体系-旧有及当下利用-伦理价值-文化特征-宇宙观的五边形框架。结合田野调查研究,提出了一个立体的传统生态知识的民族生态学分析模型,强调了传统生态知识的动态特征,将民族对于自然的被动认识和主动认知、民族人际关系规范、民族的哲学与伦理等方面所呈现出的传统生态知识进行了分类,从而为民族生态学的调查研究提供了方法上的建议。最后总结了这个立体的传统生态知识分析框架的意义,并建议在我国的生态文明建设中发展和应用民族生态学。     

Chinanteco management ofAechmea Magdalenae: Implications for the use of TEK and TRM in management plans

The importance of incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and traditional resource management (TRM) into resource management plans is increasingly recognized, but little quantitative data exists on the ecological and economic implications of these systems. We quantitatively evaluate the TEK and TRM associated with the nontimber forest species, Aechmea magdalenae, in indigenous Chinanteco communities in Mexico. Two TRM systems forA. magdalenae are described and their effects on growth rates of individuals and populations are measured. Simulations using matrix population models combined with yield experiments reveal that one management system is higher yielding and less costly than the other. Thinning and transplanting are two of the most important management practices that enable populations to withstand higher rates of harvest than those predicted in a management plan that was not based on TRM. Quantitative evaluation of Chinanteco TEK is used to discuss how it may be best combined with science in management plans for nontimber forest species.     

Understanding Yurok traditional ecological knowledge and wildlife management

Indigenous communities have often been marginalized in the sciences through research approaches that are not inclusive of their cultures and histories. The term traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) has entered the discourse in wildlife management and conservation; however, there can be challenges in cross-cultural communication and conceptualizations of TEK when working between Western and Indigenous paradigms. Indigenous research methodologies (IRM) is an area of scholarship intended to build ethically and culturally appropriate ways to conduct research with Indigenous communities. I implemented 7 tenets of IRM in research to explore the conceptualization of TEK and wildlife management with the Yurok Tribe of California, USA. After conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 Yurok community members from 2011 to 2013, I conducted emergent analysis and present 5 themes from the interviews related to phases of time, the conceptualization of Yurok TEK, and views on wildlife management through the Yurok cultural lens. This research may be helpful to wildlife biologists, students, academics, and others who are interested in IRM and culturally sensitive wildlife research with Indigenous communities. By bridging concepts from Indigenous studies, wildlife management, and human dimensions of wildlife, this work may serve as a nascent trajectory that creates more inclusive space for Indigenous peoples and worldviews in The Wildlife Society and other scientific disciplines.     

放牧方式对浑善达克沙地榆树疏林退化的影响

浑善达克沙地榆树疏林是分布于草原地带的隐域植被类型,相较周边的典型草原区,其植被更加茂密,乔灌丛生,水草丰美,千百年来一直是牧民的优质冬季牧场。近半个世纪以来,因人类的过度开垦以及不合理的放牧管理,浑善达克沙地植被遭到空前的破坏,沙丘活化,载畜能力降低,生态价值和经济价值严重受损。近年来,随着国家草畜平衡以及禁牧政策的推广落实,放牧的牲畜总量得到一定程度的遏制,然而大面积草场还在继续退化。在牧民对生产生活的基本需求下,牲畜总量不可能无限制的压制。另外,适度的放牧对草原生态系统健康是有益的。因此,如何改良放牧方式,合理利用草场,在保持生态良好的基础上合理发挥草场的畜牧价值,是我们亟待探索的问题。以浑善达克沙地的典型天然植被榆树疏林为例,对不同放牧方式下的植被进行调查,基于沙地特殊的基质和植被特征,探讨适合沙地的放牧利用方式。研究表明,在相似的放牧强度下,把沙地作为冬营地,其榆树种群更新正常,植被覆盖度以及植物种类等均能保持良好,而把沙地作为夏季营地,榆树疏林植被退化严重,具体表现为:(1)榆树种群自然更新受阻;(2)灌木群落大量死亡或消失;(3)草本覆盖度显著降低,植物种类减少,多年生草...     

Grip strength, muscle fatigue, and body composition in nomadic Turkana pastoralists

Tests of hand grip strength and hand grip muscle fatigue were conducted on Ngisonyoka Turkana pastoralists of northwest Kenya to explore some of the functional relationships between activity and body composition. The test of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of hand grip flexors was conducted on 151 Turkana and 38 U.S. men and women. The fatigue test was conducted on the same number of subjects who were instructed to attempt to maintain 80% of the MVC for 90 seconds. The results of these tests, combined with arm measurements of size and body composition, were used to evaluate muscle size and strength relationships and to estimate muscle fiber type distribution in the forearm. MVC values of Turkana men were low by U.S. and European standards. The low values resulted from smaller Turkana muscle areas. MVC values of Turkana women were comparable to those of U.S. and European women, reflecting comparable muscle areas. The fatigue curves of Turkana and U.S. men and women suggest that slow-twitch aerobic muscle fibers predominate for the hand grip flexors of the Turkana pastoralists.     

The nutritional consequences of pregnancy sickness

The purpose of this paper is to assess Profet’s (1992) and others’ hypothesis that nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is adaptive. A number of studies have found an association between NVP and a decreased risk for early fetal loss (<20 weeks). It is assumed that the adaptive benefits of improved survivorship associated with NVP outweigh the minimal nutritional consequences. However, in populations that experience marginal levels of nutrition, NVP may have important nutritional consequences. To test these potential consequences, a study on NVP, nutritional status, and pregnancy outcome was conducted among Turkana pastoralists, who experience seasonal and chronic nutritional stress. Interviews and anthropometric assessments were conducted on 68 pregnant Turkana women of Kenya during a 1993–1994 field season. The results from the case study suggest that women who experience NVP do encounter nutritional consequences in the later stages of pregnancy and are more likely to experience poor pregnancy outcomes. These results suggest that NVP may not be adaptive in all environmental settings, particularly among marginally nourished populations. Financial support for the Turkana study was provided by a dissertation fellowship from The Population Council, Wenner-Gren Foundation, and NSF grants BNS-8718477, and DBS-9207837. Ivy L. Pike, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Ohio State University. Her research interests include the evolutionary and ecological context of health, nutrition, and reproduction. She has conducted research among Turkana women of Kenya and is initiating a project among the Iraqw, an agro-pastoral population of Tanzania.     

Livestock grazing and forest structure regulate the assembly of ecological clusters within plant networks in eastern Australia

Questions

How do changes in grazing intensity by different herbivores and differences in forest structure affect the assembly of ecological clusters within plant ecological networks in dryland plant communities?

Location

Eastern Australia across an area of 0.4 million km².

Methods

We used correlation network analysis and structural equation modelling to examine how changes in grazing intensity, by different herbivores, and differences in forest structure (tree canopy cover, basal area and density) and soil fertility influenced the assembly of ecological clusters of plant communities (i.e. relative abundance of ecological clusters formed by co‐occurring plant species within an ecological network) in three forested communities from eastern Australia.

Results

Livestock grazing and forest structure regulated the relative abundance of ecological clusters within plant networks, but their effects on these plant assemblies were highly dependent on the ecological cluster and forest community type, with no single winner or loser across forest types, conditions or grazing intensities. Thus, the relative abundance of some ecological clusters increased under grazing while others declined, a response that was maintained across different forest structures. The relative importance of grazing, forest structure and soil fertility varied across forest community type. The two eucalypt communities exhibited mixed effects of grazing and forest structure (Eucalyptus largiflorens ) or forest structure only (Eucalyptus camaldulensis ). In the third (Callitris glaucophylla ) community, grazing played a larger role in controlling the plant community assembly. Soil fertility (soil C and P) effects were of a similar magnitude to grazing and forest structure, but the effects differed among clusters.

Conclusions

Livestock grazing and forest structure regulated the relative abundance of ecological clusters within networks of plant communities in forests in eastern Australia. Our study uses a novel approach of ecological clusters to show that differences in grazing and forest structure will always disadvantage some plant ecological clusters. Furthermore, changes in one cluster will ultimately affect other clusters. Any changes in management therefore will have varied effects on different ecological plant clusters.

     

Untangling a Decline in Tropical Forest Resilience: Constraints on the Sustainability of Shifting Cultivation Across the Globe

Shifting cultivators depend on forest biomass inputs to nourish their crops. For them, forest resilience has an immediate impact: it affects crop productivity. A decline in the rate of recovery following shifting cultivation would ultimately affect local, regional and global carbon budgets, with feedbacks to climate. Yet the long-term impacts of shifting cultivation have been quantified in only six locations. In this study, we reanalyze data from these locations to determine whether the rate of biomass recovery is the same from cycle to cycle. Further, using case studies in Southern Yucatan, Mexico and West Kalimantan, Indonesia, we investigate the ecological and socioeconomic factors that affect forest resilience and thus determine whether or not shifting cultivation is sustainable. The reanalysis links aboveground biomass recovery following shifting cultivation to site productivity, forest age, fallow length, history of cultivation, and soil texture. Across locations, biomass accumulation rate declines by 9.3 percent with each cycle of shifting cultivation. Per cycle change in biomass accumulation rate is significantly more negative in younger forests and forests that experience a shorter fallow period. However, more detailed analyses for two case studies suggest that a purely ecological framework is of limited effectiveness in explaining variability in the effect of repeated shifting cultivation. Rather, socioeconomic factors such as migration, subsidies, roads, and settlement history can alter the outcome of shifting cultivation by limiting the accumulation and use of local knowledge.     

Towards more effective integration of tropical forest restoration and conservation

Conservation and restoration interventions can be mutually reinforcing and are converging through an increased focus on social dimensions. This paper examines how to more effectively integrate the complementary goals of conservation and restoration of tropical forests. Forest conservation and restoration interventions are integral components of a broad approach to forest ecosystem and landscape management that aims to maintain and restore key ecological processes and enhance human well‐being, while minimizing biodiversity loss. The forest transition model provides a useful framework for understanding the relative importance of forest conservation and restoration interventions in different regions. Harmonizing conservation and restoration presents serious challenges for forest policy in tropical countries, particularly regarding the use and management of secondary forests, fallow vegetation, and forests degraded by logging and fire. Research to implement restoration more effectively in tropical regions can be stimulated by transforming questions that initially focused on conservation issues. Examination of papers published in Biotropica from 2000–2018 shows that most studies relevant to tropical forest conservation do not address forest restoration issues. Forest restoration studies, on the other hand, show a consistent association with conservation issues. There is much scope for further integration of conservation and restoration in research, practice, and policy. Securing a sustainable future for tropical forests requires developing and applying integrated approaches to landscape management that effectively combine knowledge and tools from multiple disciplines with practical experience and engagement of local stakeholders. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

The palm has its time: an Ethnoecology ofSabal uresana in Sonora,Mexico

Participant observation and formal interviews were used to learn what local people understood of palm natural history and how palms were managed. Ecological and ethnographic methods were combined to assess traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and traditional resource management (TRM). Palm workers understood TEK and TRM for palms. This knowledge was not general in the population, however. Residence, harvester status, and gender were strongly correlated with TEK and TRM. Harvest practices included limiting access, “sparing,” controlling harvest times and levels, and choice of leaf age and palm size. “Alpha” management is proposed as practices which maintain populations long-term. In this case, sparing was the single most important practice. “Beta” management is shorter term and important for obtaining good quality product in sufficient quantities. Although the impacts are more subtle, it can affect population structure over time. This study provides one prototype for identifying practices which function as de facto conservation traditions for wild-harvested species.     

福建集体林权制度改革对生态公益林水源涵养能力变化的影响——基于723个村的实证研究

水源涵养等生态功能是生态公益林的首要功能,维护生态安全是集体林权制度改革（简称"林改"）的重要目标。为了厘清福建林改对生态公益林水源涵养能力变化的影响,以促进生态公益林质量的精准提升。运用综合蓄水能力法测算分析了福建省5县（区）723个村林改前后生态公益林水源涵养能力变化,并运用多元线性回归模型探讨了林改对生态公益林水源涵养能力变化的关键影响因素。结果表明：（1）林改后生态公益林水源涵养量普遍增加,但单位面积水源涵养能力多数下降,少数提升。（2）产权归属通过经营管护行为对单位面积水源涵养能力产生显著影响,其中,国有权属存在正向影响,集体权属与私有权属存在负向影响。（3）面积、人工林占比、防护林占比、蓄积量变动和降雨量等因素,主要通过资源结构、经营条件和外部环境对单位面积水源涵养能力产生显著影响。据此提出,在提高生态公益林数量的同时要注重提升生态公益林质量,加大政府赎买,重点挖掘幼龄人工生态林生态潜力,做好天然林和防护林保护等政策建议。     

日本演习林制度对中国生物多样性保护与国家公园建设的启示

演习林是日本通过农林院校管辖和运行的自然林地与人工林, 兼具科教、生物多样性保护、生态旅游与林木生产等功能。演习林的责、权、利明确, 能够实现长期、稳定的保护与利用, 与自然保护区、国家公园既有区别又相辅相成, 是日本经济协调发展与快速实现生态恢复的一个重要保障。目前, 日本约有30所高等院校拥有演习林, 演习林面积约占日本森林总面积的5‰, 其中东京大学的演习林建立最早、运行与管理机制最为完善。演习林主要有三大功能: 教学实践、科学研究、社会服务。演习林主要负责人是大学教师, 教师既参与科教也参与管理, 实现了教授治校、科教与社会服务的协调发展。当前, 我国正处于生物多样性保护的转型期和国家公园试点建设的关键阶段, 农林类高校或研究所可借鉴日本演习林制度, 主动参与到国家“绿水青山就是金山银山”的绿色发展理念和实践中; 涉及生物学与农林学科的科学工作者应积极承担当地自然保护区、森林公园、国家公园等的建设与管护。政府可以引导和吸纳有着充足研究经费、学术水平较高的农林与生物学类高校(特别是相关学科被列入“世界一流学科”建设行列的高校)在有条件的自然保护区或城市周边开辟高校直辖林地, 实现教学实践、研究与保护、社会服务等共建共存模式, 提升我国高校农林与生物学科研究水平, 促进我国生物多样性的可持续保护和国家公园的高标准建设。     

The present conservation status of Juniperus forests in the South Ethiopian Endemic Bird Area

Field survey data and Landsat satellite imagery were used to evaluate the conservation status of two Juniperus forests (Mankubsa and Arero) in the south Ethiopian Endemic Bird Area. Forest cover and dense woodland decreased in both areas between 1986 and 2002, but rates of habitat change and human impact were greater at Mankubsa than at Arero. We suggest that at Mankubsa increased grazing pressure, agricultural expansion, commercial fuelwood and timber exploitation are threatening forest persistence, while most of the degradation at Arero is because of the grazing of domestic animals. Conservation efforts should focus on creating tree plantations and improving forest resource use efficiency at Mankubsa, while at Arero better results could be obtained by improving pasture quality in the habitats surrounding the forest.     

Impacts of domestic cattle on forest and woody ecosystems in southern South America

There is a long lasting debate on the effects of domestic cattle grazing on natural ecosystems worldwide. Cattle are generally assumed to have negative effects on forest conservation; however, several studies also report positive and neutral effects. We aimed to investigate the available evidence for positive, negative and neutral effects of cattle grazing on forest and woody ecosystems of southern South America. We conducted a peer-review literature search using the ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus databases to identify studies dealing with cattle impacts for nature conservation. We compiled a database of 211 cases from 126 original publications. A reduced number of forest ecosystems (Patagonian forest, Chaco and Monte) concentrated?~?85% of the reported study cases. The hierarchical cluster analysis to group cases based on cattle effects, ecological variables and ecosystems reported that negative effects (~?66% of cases) were mostly informed for vegetation variables and mainly occur in Patagonian forest and Chaco; positive effects (~?16%) were mostly informed for Monte (no particular variable associated), while neutral effects (~?18%) were mostly informed for fauna-related variables and Uruguayan savanna. Our study suggests that grazing effects by cattle on southern South America forests are not homogeneous and depend on the particular forest ecosystem considered as well as on the forest attribute measured. Different cattle effects found can be partially explained by differences in grazing history and different ecosystems productivity. It is vital to improve our understanding of cattle–forest interactions to guide synergies between sustainable management and forest conservation.