Outdoor activities foster local plant knowledge in Karelia, NE Europe

Abstract

Wild edible plants, particularly berries, are relevant nutritional elements in the Nordic countries. In contrast to decreasing global trends, approximately 60% of the Finnish population is actively involved in (berry) foraging. We conducted 67 interviews with Finns and Karelians living in Finnish Karelia to: (a) detect the use of wild edible plants, (b) compare those results with the published data about neighbouring Russian Karelians, and (c) document the sources of local plant knowledge. The results revealed three main findings. First, we observed a similarity in wild food plant knowledge among Karelians and Finns from Karelia. Second, we detected divergences in wild food plant knowledge among Karelians living on both sides of the Finnish–Russian border. Third, the sources of local plant knowledge include vertical transmission, acquisition through literary sources, acquisition from “green” nature shops promoting healthy lifestyles, childhood foraging activities performed during the famine period following WWII, and outdoor recreational activities. We argue that the last two types of activities in particular may have influenced knowledge and connectedness with the surrounding environment and its resources at a stage of life that is crucial for shaping adult environmental behaviours. Future research should address the role of outdoor activities in maintaining (and possibly enhancing) local ecological knowledge in the Nordic countries.

Local Wild Food Plants and Food Products in a Multi-Cultural Region: An Exploratory Study among Diverse Ethnic Groups in Bessarabia, Southern Moldova

“…Maintaining the local language and alphabet is a factor correlated to more robust food and biocultural diversity in this framework. As observed in various ethnobotanical studies across the western borderlands of the former Soviet Union, a consistent pattern regarding the homogenization of local ethnobotanical heritage can be identified [24,73]. Specifically, for ethnic groups less familiar with the Cyrillic script, the impact of the Soviet Union acted as a filtering mechanism for disseminated knowledge.…”

Foraging Practices and Sustainable Management of Wild Food Resources in Europe: A Systematic Review

“…Several authors underline the relation between the socio-economic changes brought about by the modernization of agropastoral systems and the reduction in the frequency of foraging practices, and therefore an erosion of TEK. Urbanization and industrialization led to profound changes in society, among which were the abandonment of traditional agricultural and pastoral practices [69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76]. The disappearance of the traditional agrarian culture has entailed abandoning many activities in the fields and forests linked to gathering and consuming wild edible plants [77].…”

“…Wild plants were collected when people went into the fields for other primary activities (such as farming or livestock grazing) [78][79][80]. Compared to the past, less time is spent close to nature and in the countryside [74,81,82]. This, therefore, led to having fewer and fewer opportunities to practice foraging.…”

“…This, therefore, led to having fewer and fewer opportunities to practice foraging. Moreover, increased wealth and purchasing power resulted in increased food accessibility and affordability than in the past [74,75,83,84]. Industrial production reduced the need for gathering and processing wild plants at home [85], while proximity and easiest access to nearby cities and markets increased food supply alternatives [76,83,[86][87][88].…”

“…Moving to the cultural sphere, the literature shows that TEK around wild plants was mainly transmitted orally and vertically between generations [92,93]. Young people increasingly detached from agropastoral activities and therefore were no longer interested in foraging [72,74,84,[94][95][96][97] or migrated because of the greater opportunities offered by the city [98][99][100][101], which resulted in knowledge erosion. Moreover, as knowledge about foraging is mainly in the hands of older people, transfer to new generations became an issue [56].…”