The use of forests in times of crisis: ecological literacy as a safety net

Abstract

In his chapter entitled "Flight into the Forest," zoologist Bernd Heinrich (1984) recounts how he and his family, Polish refugees who fled to Germany at the close of World War II, lived off of fish, game (including mice), nuts, berries and mushrooms in the forests of Hahnheide for five years. For Europeans of Heinrich's generation, memories of reliance upon forest resources for survival during and after the war are commonplace. Use of forests for food, medicine and shelter during times of crisis is not a historical anecdote or aberration, but a present day reality for people across the globe, as reports from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Congo, Burma, North Korea, Colombia and a host of other countries make clear.

Citation

Pierce, Alan R.; Emery, Marla R. 2005. The use of forests in times of crisis: ecological literacy as a safety net. Forest, Trees, and Livelihoods 15:249-252