PARENT SESSION
Symposium #23: Relationship, Community, and Intergenerational Innovation: Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Ecosystem Restoration .
Sponsored by ESA Sustainable Biosphere Initiative
Organized by: K Klubnikin, K Rodriguez, J Parrotta, and W Covington
Wednesday, August 7. 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Leo Rich Theatre.
The relationship between traditional ecological knowledge, evolving cultures, and wilderness management in the circumpolar North.
WATSON, ALAN*,1, ALESSA, LILIAN2, GASPELL, BRIAN1, 1 Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Missoula, Montana2 University of Alaska Wildlands Center, Anchorage, Alaska
ABSTRACT- The Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, the University of Alaska Wildlands Center, the National Science Foundation and representatives from several members of the Circumpolar University Association recently collaborated to explore wilderness attributes from the persective of the Circumpolar North. Unique aspects of natural resource management in the far north have been shaped by historic settlement and occupation patterns, legal mandates from distant urban capital centers, distinct cultural traditions and experience,and economic status. Interest is growing in ecotourism, there are accelerating demands for energy development, and globalization and modernization are accelerating changes. Wilderness designation in the US, Canada, and Finland, along with the strict nature reserves in Russia, focuses on preservation and restoration of ecological and human values. Traditional ecological knowledge is closely associated with traditional lifestyles,conveying important information about the attributes and ecological qualities important in maintaining wilderness. TEK can simultaneouly illuminate impacts of human use and management well as shape effective, long-term management strategies for agencies and indigenous peoples alike in maintaing opportunities to continue traditional lifeways. As cultures continue to evolve in customs, values, and attitudes, with potential knowledge base changes, relationships with the relatively pristine ecosystems will also evolve. Understanding the history and trajectory of changing cultural relationships relative to wilderness management poses significant and contentious challenges in the Circumpolar North.
KEY WORDS: wilderness, traditional ecological knowledge, Circumpolar North, traditional livelihood