|
|||||||||
| You are here: Home > Activities > Meetings > 2002 > abstracts > Monday > | ||
Abstracts< Go Back
15.45 - 16.00 16.00 - 16.15 HANAZAKI, NATALIA and Alpina Begossi. Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais, Campinas University, C.P.6166, Campinas, SP, 13081-970, Brazil <natalia@nepam.unicamp.br> TERRESTRIAL FAUNA USED BY CAIÇARAS FROM THE ATLANTIC FOREST COAST, BRAZIL The Brazilian Atlantic forest is a hotspot for conservation, which comprises remnants of Rain Forest along the eastern Brazilian coast. Its native inhabitants include the ‘Caiçaras’ (descendents from Amerindians and European colonizers), showing a deep knowledge on the natural resources used for their livelihood. We studied the use of the terrestrial fauna in three ‘Caiçara’ communities, through open-ended interviews with 116 native residents. Data were checked through systematic observations and collection of zoological material. The dependence on the terrestrial fauna by ‘Caiçaras’ is both for food and medicine. The main species used are Didelphis spp., Dasyprocta azarae, Dasypus novemcinctus, and small birds (Turdidae, many species). Contrasting with a high dependency on faunal resources by native Amazonians, the ‘Caiçaras’ do not show a constant dependency on these resources. Nevertheless, the hunting of native animals occasionally represents a complementary source of animal protein. Indigenous knowledge on native resources is important to promote local development in a sustainable way, and to help to conserve biodiversity, particularly if the resource is sporadically used and when it is not commercially exploited. Attention is needed to include local and indigenous people in conservation and development policies, both in a national and in an international scenario. 16.15 - 16.30 ASHENAFI, ZELEALEM TEFERA, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London NW1 4RY, and Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury CT2 7NS, UK <kykebero@telecom.net.et> THE QERO INDIGENOUS RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS AN IMPORTANT ETHIOPIAN WOLF POPULATION Enlarging our understanding of indigenous resource management systems and institutions is becoming important for conservation and development, as fortress-based approaches are increasingly questioned. This paper examines how the Qero indigenous resource management system has supported the conservation of an Afro-alpine area in the central highlands of Ethiopia, where endemic species abound. The main concern of the Qero system was to regulate the use of natural resources by the traditional community, including collection of firewood and thatch, and grazing by livestock. The system was enforced through sanctions and punishments imposed by the community. Although the conservation of biodiversity was not the main aim of the Qero system, several endemic and endangered species have benefited from this indigenous resource management system. The Qero system has declined in recent years as a result of the break down of the existing land tenure and land rights systems within Ethiopia. Furthermore, management responsibility has shifted to a non-traditional user group. Nevertheless, the Qero system has shown sufficient resilience to withstand these changes and pressures, with still defined seasons of resource use. Furthermore, the area still supports the largest population of the critically endangered Ethiopian wolf Canis simensis to remain outside a protected area. 16.30 - 16.45 PAISLEY, SUSANNA. Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2, UK, <susanna@paisleyday.org>. THE SPECTACLED BEAR IN APOLOBAMBA, BOLIVIA: THE CONSERVATION OF A CULTURALLY SALIENT SPECIES Tremarctos ornatus is South America’s only ursid, its largest carnivore and a key conservation priority. However, many aspects of its basic natural history and complex role in human culture have never been studied. In 1996, qualitative and quantitative research was initiated into the interaction between Andean bears and people, both in and outside a protected area, in Apolobamba, Bolivia. This mountain range is an important stronghold for bears and for traditional attitudes and beliefs towards them. Key informants and 137 semi-structured open-ended interviews revealed a wide range of bear-related beliefs and attitudes, ranging from intense veneration to vilification. Despite their important role in myth and ritual, the majority of interviewees would be glad if there were no more bears in the future. Perceived depredation of crops and livestock was high, although this was not corroborated by investigations on the ground. Frustration about living inside the protected area focused on the prohibition against killing problem animals. Using factor analysis and generalised linear models, tolerance of bears was found to be higher in certain valleys, amongst older people and those who did not keep livestock. Spectacled bears are highly culturally salient animals. As a result, their conservation necessitates tackling complex issues of interaction and perception. 16.45 - 17.00 FORBES, BRUCE. Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Box 122, FIN-96101 Rovaniemi, Finland, <bforbes@urova.fi>. REINDEER MANAGEMENT: A TEST CASE IN VALUEING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE REINDEER MANAGEMENT is a research project funded by the European Commission during 2001-2004. REINDEER MANAGEMENT aims to address fundamental questions regarding the sustainable utilization of reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, in northernmost Europe in order to enhance the quality of life of local reindeer-herding communities and the appropriate management of living resources. Reindeer management is among the most important mutually competing uses of natural resources and the environment in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. It is also one of the oldest, most resilient forms of livelihood within the region. As competition has increased and as its effects have become visible, in particular over the past 25 years, there have been widespread reports of "overgrazing" and calls for significant reductions in the number of animals. The combined effect of these trends is that political discussion about reindeer management policy and its relationship with other uses of the environment (such as tourism, forestry, hydropower, and mining) is intensifying. Until recently, research has been primarily biological, with an emphasis on meat production. In the process, socio-cultural imperatives and traditional knowledge are undervalued. Indigenous herders are reluctant to recognise the validity of regulations derived from state-funded research adhering strictly to agricultural norms. The coordinator will introduce the project. 17.00 - 17.15 STOATE, CHRIS. The Allerton Research and Educational Trust, Loddington House, Loddington. Leics. LE7 9XE, UK, <chris.stoate@ukonline.co.uk>. FARMERS ARE PART OF THE LANDSCAPE: CULTURAL ECOLOGY OF FARMLAND MANAGEMENT IN WESTERN EUROPE AND AFRICA Industrialisation of agriculture has created homogeneous landscapes in which people are isolated from ecosystems, biodiversity is impoverished, and environmentally and economically sustainable food production is threatened. This paper draws on the author’s recent studies in England, Portugal and Senegambia to describe cultural influences on farmland ecosystems. In England, a combination of a questionnaire survey and intensive ecological research revealed that many farmers adopt gamebird shooting as a social activity and that, if adopted appropriately, management for gamebirds can result in substantially increased biodiversity on farmland. In Portugal, monitoring of bird abundance and species diversity in relation to three farming systems revealed that abundance and diversity were highest in montado, a landuse system with strong and complex cultural associations. In Senegambia, semi-structured interviews and use-value matrices revealed that, even in an area of considerable environmental degradation due to intensification of crop production, farmers maintained cultural values that could be harnessed to restore both biodiversity and sustainable production. These studies highlight the apparently international conflict between short-term economic and long-term cultural interests and values, both within and between individual farmers. Cultural values held by farmers provide an opportunity to restore environmentally and economically sustainable management of farmland. 17.15 - 17.30 THOMAS, WILLIAM H. The New Jersey School Of Conservation, Montclair State University Montclair New Jersey, USA <PNGEXPLORE@aol.com> FIELD GUIDES AND NATIVE GUIDES: USING INDIGENIUS KNOWLEDGE AS A CONSERVATION TEMPLATE Papua New Guinea (PNG) is hoping that clues to the conservation of its natural resources can be found in the indigenous knowledge base of the citizens. This project tests the notion that the indigenous knowledge and lifestyle of one society — the Hewa — might serve as a template for the conservation of the unexplored area of the PNG’s Central Range surrounding the headwaters of the Strickland River. Recording their indigenous knowledge of birds and the effect of human habitat disturbance on avian diversity produces a dynamic landscape-wide picture of the relationship between traditional Hewa life and biodiversity. Namely, the Hewa describe their traditions as a small scale disturbance that progressively eliminates species of birds with the cutting of primary forest and the shortening of fallow regimes. The Hewa predict that cutting the primary forest and shortening fallow cycles will create an environment that is inhospitable to at least 50% of the birds now found here. These findings are similar to those found in western studies of habitat alteration. They indicate that indigenous knowledge can serve as a tool for incorporating indigenous societies into reserve planning process as both scientific and political partners. |