scholarly journals Local Ecological Knowledge on Mangroves in Mayotte Island (Indian Ocean) and Influencing Factors

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Esméralda Longépée ◽  
Anliati Ahmed Abdallah ◽  
Matthieu Jeanson ◽  
Claire Golléty
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystem ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Mangrove Tree

The majority of studies on local ecological knowledge (LEK) relate to communities or groups relying on ecosystem(s) for their livelihood. In our case study, Mayotte Island, a French overseas department, very few people rely on mangrove ecosystem for natural resources but most of them are attached to it because of leisure activities and beliefs. The questions on mangrove LEK generally deal with a single aspect of ecological knowledge of surveyed people and is mixed with other information such as harvesting practices, anthropogenic impacts, and management issues. The aim of our study is to better understand the level of ecological knowledge of surveyed inhabitants of Mayotte and to assess whether factors linked to the profile of respondents have an influence on it. For this purpose, we carried out two main survey campaigns in three villages fringing two stable mangroves of Mayotte: the first one consisted of qualitative interviews and the second one, questionnaires lending quantitative results. Cross tabulations and Chi square tests of independence were carried out to determine the link between LEK and influencing factors. Results show that some LEK implying localized observation, such as the identification of mangrove trees and the knowledge of the coastal protection role of the mangrove, are well shared by surveyed people whereas others, such as the number and the name of mangrove tree species, are poorly known. The results also highlight the difficulty of questions implying observation at the landscape level and interpretation of observation. All the influencing factors selected have a significant influence on, at least, one LEK variable. The results highlight differences in LEK of villages bordering two nearby mangroves calling for a local management of these systems.

scholarly journals Continuing Wetland Degradation Dissociates Socio-Ecological Systems and Affects Interconnected Goals of Environmental Health, Equity and Wellbeing: A case Study from the Lower Gangetic Floodplains

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
TIASA ADHYA ◽  
SAYAN BANERJEE
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Fast Tracking

Unplanned urbanisation and industrialisation have severely degraded natural ecosystems, particularly wetlands. The Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin support 630 million inhabitants; yet continue to be altered rapidly, jeopardizing the region’s social and ecological integrity. By conducting qualitative interviews and participant observation in a wetland dependent village located in the Lower Gangetic Floodplains we investigated how degrading wetlands in sub-urban landscapes were affecting socio-ecological systems. Not only did the wetlands provide livelihood options, mainly fishing and farming, but also provided prestige and autonomy. Vulnerable sections of the society across class, age and gender were solely dependent on the wetland. In absence of political will to safeguard wetland health, industries emerged by altering wetlands, which hampered local community’s livelihood and lifestyle. Further, our study demonstrated that local ecological knowledge could provide qualitative baseline information for fast-tracking identification of important wetlands and creating inventories to initiate wetland conservation and management. Finally, we recommend local governance structures should be strongly tied to international or national wetland policies so that wetland functions along with human health and well-being could be sustained. We strongly advocate that contradictions in policies be resolved to strengthen efforts to conserve wetlands which provide resilience to marginal communities in the face of calamities.

scholarly journals The use of fishers’ Local Ecological Knowledge to reconstruct fish behavioural traits and fishers’ perception of conservation relevance of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
MATTEO BARBATO ◽  
CLAUDIO BARRÍA ◽  
ANDREA BELLODI ◽  
SARA BONANOMI ◽  
DIEGO BORME ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Elasmobranch Species ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Conservation Plans

The Mediterranean Sea has a long-lasting history of fishery exploitation that, together with other anthropogenic impacts, has led to declines in several marine organisms. In particular, elasmobranch populations have been severely impacted, with drastic decreases in abundance and species diversity. Based on their experience, fishers can provide information on marine species occurrence, abundance and behavioural traits on a long-term scale, therefore contributing to research on the poorly studied biological aspects of elusive or rare elasmobranch species. In this study, for the first time, the use of the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of fishers was applied to study the behavioural traits of sharks, rays and skates in 12 FAO-GFCM geographical sub-areas (GSAs) of the Mediterranean Sea. This study found both new insight and proved the reliability of LEK-based catch seasonality, reflecting seasonal movements, by comparing LEK-based findings and available literature on five elasmobranch taxa (Mustelus spp., Squalus acanthias, Raja spp., Myliobatis aquila and Scyliorhinus stellaris) in the Adriatic Sea and 7 taxa (Mustelus spp., Raja spp., Prionace glauca, Scyliorhinus canicula, Torpedo spp., Pteroplatytrygon violacea and Isurus oxyrinchus) in the remaining Mediterranean GSAs. In addition, LEK provided new insights into a novel comprehensive representation of species aggregations (Mustelus spp., S. acanthias, M. aquila and S. canicula) in the sampled GSAs and supplied the first descriptions of the size, number of individuals and sex composition of the aggregations. When the limits and shortcomings of LEK-based research are considered, this methodology can be a complementary and cost-effective tool used to study elasmobranchs in either a data-poor scenario or a scenario in which a baseline is missing. LEK can also be useful for the evaluation and inclusion of fishers’ perceptions on bottom-up management and to provide important evidence for conservation plans.

The missing wetlands: using local ecological knowledge to find cryptic ecosystems

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber L. Pitt ◽  
Robert F. Baldwin ◽  
Donald J. Lipscomb ◽  
Bryan L. Brown ◽  
Joanna E. Hawley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Knowledge

Building ecological networks with local ecological knowledge in hyper‐diverse and logistically challenging ecosystems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Ong ◽  
Ahimsa Campos‐Arceiz ◽  
Vivienne P. W. Loke ◽  
Param bin Pura ◽  
Charang Muhamad Tauhid bin Tunil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Ecological Knowledge

scholarly journals An Environmental Education and Communication Project on Migratory Fishes and Fishing Communities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 337
Author(s):  
Sara Costa Carvalho ◽  
Heitor Oliveira Braga ◽  
Sofia de Santa-Maria ◽  
Beatriz Fonte ◽  
Mário Jorge Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Ocean Literacy ◽  
New Perspective

This study aims at evaluating the environmental education (EE) and communication intervention for the valorization of migratory fish resources in an estuary of northern Portugal. The EE component intervention was implemented among Middle School pupils of that region. Students’ knowledge was quantitatively evaluated with an experimental approach of pre-testing and post-testing, on the ocean and estuarine literacy (OEL) and biology of migratory species, such as sea lamprey. This study also analyzes the communication component developed via social media. Results of the EE component show an evident increment of OEL (p < 0.05). It is also highlighted that students had previous knowledge on issues that are not covered in the curriculum. Social media has shown to be an effective communication tool mostly among the scientific community (e.g., Ethnobiology). The research has various implications to OEL since it brings a new perspective towards the integration of ocean literacy in formal education; as well as the valorization of Students’ local ecological knowledge and of inter-generational dynamics. This study contributed to promoting local biodiversity, OEL, and participatory local governance of these ecosystems.

scholarly journals The trauma of no-choice: Wild food ethnobotany in Yaghnobi and Tajik villages, Varzob Valley, Tajikistan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Sõukand ◽  
Julia Prakofjewa ◽  
Andrea Pieroni
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Food Plants ◽  
Wild Food ◽  
Wild Food Plants ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Wild Food Plant ◽  
Forced Resettlement ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
High Level

AbstractDue to global change and the migration crisis both needing rapid attention, there has been growing debate about the drivers of change in the diet of migrants. Our study aimed to evaluate the consequences of forced resettlement on local ecological knowledge related to wild food plants among forcefully resettled Yaghnobi people in Tajikistan. We conducted 49 semi-structured in-depth interviews and recorded 27 wild food taxa and five unidentified folk taxa used by Yaghnobis and Tajiks in the villages surrounding Yaghnob Valley (including families ressetteled from Yaghnob Valley) in central Tajikitsan. The comparision between the two considered groups showed a high level of Tajikisation among Yaghnobis, both those who live alongside Tajiks as well as those living separately. The few families that still have distinct Yaghnobi plant uses are the ones which were given the opportunity to choose the spot in which to relocate and still visit the Yaghnob Valley regularly. On the basis of our study, we suggest that affording a choice of where to relocate is better than no choice, as the loss of motivation also affects the use of wild food plants. Given the pressure of the possible relocation of many groups of people in the light of global change, we suggest focusing efforts on studying similar cases in order to minimize the damage caused to people by relocation. The trauma of forced relocation, even just a few kilometers away, directly or indirectly affects wild food plant use and with this the food security of the community.

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