‘Knowledge Making’: Issues in Modelling Local and Indigenous Ecological Knowledge

Abstract

Modelling, particularly computer-based modelling, is increasingly used in political, managerial, and scientific contexts to enable and justify decisions. Technocratic decision makers also aspire to understand and incorporate local knowledge, albeit at times only superficially. We analyse one consequence of this situationongoing attempts to formalise, synthesize and integrate local and/or indigenous knowledge into models. Field experience of knowledge projects with Indigenous Australians underpins our analysis, but we primarily discuss a priori and general issues: the political and ethical context of such projects; knowledge making as terminology; key characteristics of (scientific) models; local capacity, participation, and representation; and examples of computer-based tools for knowledge representation. Such formal abstractions will always be controversial, but demand for them seems likely to continue. To improve interdisciplinary understanding of what might be entailed by genuine attempts to meet that demand, our paper provides signposts to and analysis of important features of local ecological knowledge modelling.

The persistence of subsistence: qualitative social-ecological modeling of indigenous aquatic hunting and gathering in tropical Australia

“…The significance and complexity of contemporary subsistence depicted in the qualitative models represented here underscore the need for careful attention to local circumstances and local aspirations. Participatory modeling has been shown to be useful in generating inclusive dialog about system components and management interventions (Tidwell et al 2004, Jackson et al 2012b, Barber and Jackson 2015, as well as in fostering broader and longer term social learning (Hare 2011). A participatory modeling process that incorporates the views and knowledge of indigenous participants as part of a move from generic to specific representations would be a logical next step.…”

“…Firstly, at a general level, modeling is an increasingly prevalent tool in bureaucratic decision-making processes, and so understanding how models may be generated and applied with respect to indigenous peoples (who are often the subject of such decisions) is an important issue (Barber and Jackson 2015). Secondly, there is a tendency in the conceptual modeling of aquatic environments to limit the representation of socioeconomic systems, especially human decision-making (Douglas et al 2005, Jardine et al 2012, and instead treat humans as a type of boundary condition without reciprocal links to floodplain dynamics, food webs, flow ecology, etc.…”

Conceptualizing Hydro-socio-ecological Relationships to Enable More Integrated and Inclusive Water Allocation Planning

“…This preliminary step ensured that we comprehensively considered the literature relating to both ecological and Indigenous values before attempting to develop a single HSE model. The team was aware of the significant epistemological and ontological challenges in documenting, synthesizing, and representing Indigenous values and knowledge (see Barber and Jackson, 36 Yates et al, 52 and Barber et al 81 ). Among these were (1) the underlying challenges arising from collaboration involving different disciplinary approaches and lexicons; (2) agreeing on the ''scope'' of the model and the challenges in trying to represent a large number of complex and inter-related hydro-ecological and social relationships within a simplified, two-dimensional diagram; and (3) the difficulties of representing multiple ontologies and cosmologies when attempting to develop a standardized, integrative, and systemic account that depicts causal relationships.…”

“…15,34 HSE conceptual models could act as boundary objects 35 that bridge research disciplines and knowledge traditions. If developed under the right conditions, 36 such models could also help to redress power imbalances concerning access to and management of water by revealing gaps, deficiencies, and differences in environmental valuation across cultures, as well as the existence of multiple ontologies. As a tool for investigation, 36 making new knowledge through modeling may also generate a better understanding and specification of relationships regarded by Indigenous peoples as critical to the future health of the river.…”

“…If developed under the right conditions, 36 such models could also help to redress power imbalances concerning access to and management of water by revealing gaps, deficiencies, and differences in environmental valuation across cultures, as well as the existence of multiple ontologies. As a tool for investigation, 36 making new knowledge through modeling may also generate a better understanding and specification of relationships regarded by Indigenous peoples as critical to the future health of the river. If adopted by government decision makers, this new knowledge may assist wider efforts to empower Indigenous groups to draw on and affirm their knowledge and protect their oftenunrecognized rights and interests in water.…”