Biodiversity Lecture November 23rd

Question 1

What is TEK?

Answer 1

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

• Site specific
• Accumulated and passed down over generations
• Information necessary for cultural survival
• Gathered through experience rather than scientific method
• OFTEN associated with Indigenous peoples
• LEK: Local ecological knowledge

Question 2

Organizations recognizing importance of TEK

Answer 2

-Rio Declaration (1992): recognized the vital roles of Indigenous people and TEK in environmental management and development
-Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD; 1992): includes the use of TEK in biodiversity conservation and the necessity to protect Indigenous communities as repositories of this knowledge
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Question 3

How many Canadian species are found on Indigenous people’s land?

Answer 3

40%

Question 4

Examples of including TEK in Canada:

Answer 4

• Developing a landscape management plan for the Endangered Peary Caribou in northern communities, by interviewing Inuit elders and hunters and combining their traditional ecological knowledge with other wildlife data to attain a better understanding of local caribou population distribution.
• Reducing the threat of fishing gear entanglement and boat collisions for the Endangered Leatherback Sea Turtle, by training Aboriginal community members in alternative fishing methods.
• Removing the invasive Scotch Pine that is competing with the Endangered Forked Three-awned Grass on Beausoleil First Nations Lands in Ontario.

Question 5

2 Organizations using aboriginal TEK

Answer 5

-NACOSAR: National Aboriginal Council on Species at Risk
To advise the Minister on administration of SARA
Provide advice and recommendations to Canadian Endangered Species Conservation Council
6 appointed members
-Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge Subcommittee of COSEWIC:
Provide access to and facilitate use of TEK by COSEWIC
Still in its formative stages!
11 members

Question 6

Scientists find lost herd of Caribou in Saskatchewan

Answer 6

Vast herd of northern caribou that scientists had feared had vanished was found pretty much where aboriginal elders said it would be all along

Question 7

How can TEK help science?

Answer 7

Management and conservation of biodiversity still overwhelmingly based on science, TEK can fill in the holes where science fails, provide testable hypothesis, and may be more holistic and less reductionist

Question 8

Challenges to integrating TEK

Answer 8

Respect, language and general communication, Institutional format, accumulation of information, access, loss of TEK with development, requires interdisciplinary work

Question 9

Western Scientific or Environmental World View:

Answer 9

• Humans are separate from nature
• people are the problem, remove the people and biodiversity will be fine
• view people as upsetting the balance

Question 10

Traditional Indigenous World View:

Answer 10

• Humans as an integral part of nature
• Stewardship: People must make respectful use of nature’s gifts or they may no longer be offered
• People as important in maintaining balance.

Question 11

TEK vs LEK

Answer 11

LEK: Local Ecological Knowledge

• TEK is local, but local is not necessarily TEK
• LEK often recognized alongside TEK
• Ex. Knowledge of bird nesting sites

Question 12

Lecture 11 Take Home Messages

Answer 12

• TEK differs from WST but the two are generally complementary, the one being able to guide the other.
• Challenges to including TEK in management and conservation are generally social and cultural
• Differences in world view are at the root of TEK based, more holistic conservation but may also cause conflict