scholarly journals Regeneration Status and Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Cloud Forest Ecosystem Restoration in Ecuador

Forests ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Ana Mariscal ◽  
Mulualem Tigabu ◽  
Patrice Savadogo ◽  
Per Christer Odén
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Natural Ecosystem ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Regeneration Status ◽  
Ecological Science

The importance of forests for biodiversity conservation has been well recognized by the global community; as a result, conservation efforts have increased over the past two decades. In Ecuador, the lack of integrated information for defining and assessing the status of local ecosystems is a major challenge for designing conservation and restoration plans. Thus, the objectives of this study were (1) to examine the regeneration status of cloud forest remnants, some of which had experienced past human disturbance events, (2) to explore a local rural community’s traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) relevant for restoration and (3) to investigate the integration between TEK and ecological science-based approaches. A survey of regeneration status was conducted in four remnants of cloud forests (n = 16) in Cosanga, Napo Province, in the Andes of northeastern Ecuador. The species of young trees (0.5–5 m height) were identified over 0.16 ha. In-depth interviews of individuals from local communities (n = 48) were conducted to identify socio-ecologically important native species. The results showed significant differences (p < 0.001) in species richness and the stem density of seedlings and saplings in gaps. The stem density of Chusquea sp., a bamboo species, explained 63% of the variation in species richness and 48% of the variation in the abundance of seedlings and saplings between plots. Informants cited 32 socio-ecologically important species, of which 26 species were cited as sources of food and habitats for wildlife. The ranking of species based on a relative importance index and a cultural value index—taking into account both the spread of knowledge among local informants and the multiplicity of uses—revealed that Hyeromina duquei, Citharexylum montanum, Eugenia crassimarginata and Sapium contortum were traditionally the most valuable species for both humans and wildlife. Informants also recommended 27 species for future planting, of which 19 species were amongst the rarest species in the regeneration survey. In conclusion, the results demonstrate a synergy between TEK and ecological science-based approaches (regeneration survey) to natural ecosystem research. Thus, traditional ecological knowledge can provide insights into ecosystem–plant–animal interaction, and to identify native species useful for both humans and wildlife for forest restoration projects to reconnect isolated cloud forest fragments.

Impacts of Buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) on a Forb Community in South Texas

2009 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph P. Sands ◽  
Leonard A. Brennan ◽  
Fidel Hernández ◽  
William P. Kuvlesky ◽  
James F. Gallagher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Grassland Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
South Texas ◽  
Breeding Period ◽  
Stem Density ◽  
Grass Cover ◽  
Canopy Coverage ◽  
Useable Space

AbstractSince the 1950s, many south Texas rangelands have been seeded with buffelgrass, a perennial C4 bunchgrass native to Africa that is believed to contribute to reductions in biodiversity. Forb species represent a critical habitat component throughout the breeding period for many wildlife species as seed (summer to fall), as green vegetative material (spring to summer), and as habitat for arthropods (spring to summer). Reductions in richness and diversity of crucial ecosystem components such as forbs and arthropods have large implications for grassland birds and other wildlife. We sampled annual and perennial forbs within 1-m2 quadrats on 15 study plots (1 ha; n = 20 quadrats/plot) at Chaparral Wildlife Management Area, in LaSalle and Dimmit counties, Texas, during 2005 and 2006. Study plots were divided into five light-buffelgrass plots (0 to 5% buffelgrass canopy coverage), five moderate-buffelgrass plots (5 to 25% buffelgrass canopy coverage), and five heavy-buffelgrass plots (> 25% buffelgrass canopy coverage). Buffelgrass in study plots was composed of naturalized plants, and was not deliberately planted. During 2005 we observed that plots with > 25% buffelgrass had a 73% reduction in forb canopy of native species, a 64% reduction in native forb species richness, and a 77% reduction in native forb stem density compared to plots with 0 to 5% buffelgrass. These trends in native forb reduction (−79% native forb canopy, −65% forb species richness, −80% forb stem density) were nearly identical in 2006, even with greatly reduced rainfall. Simple linear regression revealed negative relationships between buffelgrass cover, total exotic grass cover (buffelgrass and Lehmann lovegrass), and total grass cover and the richness, coverage, and density of forbs/m2. Reductions in diversity may have larger implications regarding ecosystem function and available useable space and densities of desired bird species such as northern bobwhite.

scholarly journals Traditional ecological knowledge and biodiversity conservation: the medicinal plants of the Dayak Krayan people in Kayan Mentarang National Park, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rina Susanti ◽  
Ervizal A.M. Zuhud
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
National Park ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Quantitative Ethnobotany ◽  
Collaborative Management ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Important Species

Abstract. Susanti R, Zuhud EAM. 2019. Traditional ecological knowledge and biodiversity conservation: the medicinal plants of the Dayak Krayan people in Kayan Mentarang National Park, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 20: 2764-2779. Traditional ecological knowledge and biodiversity conservation can support one another for management of national parks in Indonesia as some such areas established in customary areas. This quantitative ethnobotany study aims to find the correlation of traditional ecological knowledge of medicinal plants of the Dayak Krayan people to biodiversity conservation in Kayan Mentarang National Park (KMNP), North Kalimantan, Indonesia. The research method used key informant interviews, transect walks, and questionnaire interviews. There were about 51 and 42 medicinal plants in Wa’ Yagung and Pa’ Padi respectively, which most used in life form of herb and tree, and to treat digestive system and infestations. Moreover, the important species are trees Alstonia scholaris and Cinnamomum cuspidatum, and vine Aristolochia sp. which grow in primary forest, while shrub Melastoma malabathricum in young secondary forest. There were significant differences in knowledge and use regarding age and gender groups, which older groups tend to possess higher values. The linking concept is proposed by using a review of three stimuli NUR (Natural-Usefulness-Religious) pro-conservation tool of traditional ecological knowledge and biodiversity conservation. The authorities’ stakeholders in KMNP will have to emphasize the traditional ecological knowledge in short or long-term management plan to achieve the objective of collaborative management in this national park.

scholarly journals Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the Cultural Significance of Plants in Hungarian Communities in Slovenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 481-512
Author(s):  
Dániel Babai ◽  
Mátyás Szépligeti ◽  
Antónia Tóth ◽  
Viktor Ulicsni
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Biological Species ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Important Species ◽  
The Common

Traditional ecological knowledge of plants is an important aspect of scholarship in relation to land use and contributes to the sustainable use and management of natural resources as well as to the monitoring of changes in the natural environment. The aim of the present paper was to examine traditional ecological knowledge in Hungarian communities in Slovenia in connection with knowledge of the plants growing in the region, their local names, and their uses. We quantified the earlier role of the utilized plant species in order to determine the former significance of certain species. We carried out structured interviews with a total of 20 individuals in three studied settlements. In the Hungarian communities in Slovenia, we uncovered knowledge of a total of 130 folk taxa. Of these, 123 taxa have local names. The majority of the folk taxa can be correlated with a single biological species. A significant proportion of the known species were utilized in some way, most of them as medicinal plants, wild edible plants, or ornamental plants. As in other farming communities, the most important species are mainly woody plants, which include the common hornbeam, the common juniper, and the silver birch. Among the herbaceous plants, utilization of the dandelion, nettle, and bulrush was significant. Members of the older generations living in the Hungarian communities in Slovenia still retain knowledge of plants that were once used on a daily basis, along with their local names and the traditional ecological knowledge connected with their earlier use.

scholarly journals Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Restoration Ecology: A Call to Listen Deeply, to Engage with, and Respect Indigenous Voices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake M. Robinson ◽  
Nick Gellie ◽  
Danielle MacCarthy ◽  
Jacob G. Mills ◽  
Kim O'Donnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Restoration Ecology ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Indigenous Voices

Integrating traditional ecological knowledge into academic research at local and global scales

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque ◽  
David Ludwig ◽  
Ivanilda Soares Feitosa ◽  
Joelson Moreno Brito de Moura ◽  
Paulo Henrique Santos Gonçalves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Ecological Knowledge

scholarly journals Language is land, land is language: The importance of Indigenous languages

2021 ◽  
pp. 194277862110228
Author(s):  
Susan Chiblow ◽  
Paul J. Meighan
Keyword(s):  
Traditional Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Indigenous Languages ◽  
Indigenous Language ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Scottish Gaelic ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ojibwe Language ◽  
Humanitarian Crises

This collaborative opinion piece, written from the authors’ personal perspectives (Anishinaabe and Gàidheal) on Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) and Gàidhlig (Scottish Gaelic language), discusses the importance of maintaining and revitalizing Indigenous languages, particularly in these times of climate and humanitarian crises. The authors will give their personal responses, rooted in lived experiences, on five areas they have identified as a starting point for their discussion: (1) why Indigenous languages are important; (2) the effects of colonization on Indigenous languages; (3) the connections/responsibilities to the land, such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), embedded in Indigenous languages; (4) the importance of land-based learning and education, full language immersion, and the challenges associated with implementing these strategies for Indigenous language maintenance and revitalization; and (5) where we can go from here.

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