Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge to Understand the Diversity and Abundance of Culturally Important Trees

Abstract

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Policy interventions and competing management paradigms shape the long-term distribution of forest harvesting across the landscape

“…Similarly, because the preindustrial rainforest landscape often developed over many centuries without stand-replacing disturbances ( 37 , 38 , 57 ), these second-growth forests can also lack many of the ecological values and ecosystem services provided by the old-growth dominated predisturbance forest. These include high carbon stocks, distinct patterns of species diversity, complex stand structures that support specialist wildlife, regulation of water flow and quality, and diverse cultural services for Indigenous communities ( 58 – 64 ). At the scale of human generations, this shift to a less valuable resource on the same area of ground could be thought of as a persistent alternative state of lowered value.…”

Filling global gaps in monitoring data with local knowledge

“…One small vein of this fast‐growing literature is of interest here, because it focuses on measuring spatial or temporal changes in the abundance or biomass of taxa or resources of conservation concern. Recent studies have surveyed local people asking them to estimate (qualitatively or quantitatively) the (relative or absolute) abundance or biomass of taxa or resources in different places or points in time (Van Holt, Townsend & Cronkleton, 2010; Gandiwa, 2012; Danielsen et al, 2014a; Danielsen et al, 2014b; Tomaselli et al, 2018; Naah & Braun, 2019; Henri et al, 2020; Afriyie & Asare, 2020; Benner, Nielsen & Lertzman, 2021; Djagoun et al, 2022; Castello et al, 2023). Some studies have analysed the raw data for trends (Tesfamichael, Pitcher & Pauly, 2014), while others have used advanced methods (Ainsworth, Pitcher & Rotinsulu, 2008; Early‐Capistrán et al, 2020) to infer changes to the taxa or resources.…”

Scientists' Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems

“…Make a focus of restoring those areas that are critical for culturally significant landscapes, species, and practices. In addition to focusing conservation efforts and funding toward rare species or ecosystems, restoration policies and planning should also prioritize cultural keystone species and landscapes on which Indigenous Peoples and local communities rely (Benner et al 2021; Cuerrier et al 2015). As some Māori elders note, even if knowledge is lost by humans, it remains alive if species or ecosystems persist.…”