Traditional ecological knowledge and restoration practice
| Authors: | René Senos, Frank K. Lake, Nancy Turner, Dennis Martinez |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Type: | Book Chapter |
| Station: | Pacific Southwest Research Station |
| Source: | In: Apostol, Dean; Sinclair, Marcia, eds. Restoring the Pacific Northwest: the art and science of ecological restoration in Cascadia. Washington, DC : Island Press: 393-426. Chapter 17. |
Abstract
Ecological restoration is a process, a directed action aimed at repairing damage to ecocultural systems for which humans are responsible. Environmental degradation has impaired the functioning of both ecological and cultural systems and disrupted traditional practices that maintained these systems over several millennia. Indigenous and local peoples who depend on the integrity and productivity of their immediate environment more than the global, urbanized society are directly affected by ecosystem damage. Conversely, ecosystems have become further diminished in the absence of the cultural practices that once sustained them. Despite this clear connection between cultural and ecological integrity, however, the knowledge and interests of indigenous peoples typically are not considered in attempts to restore degraded ecosystems.