The cultural context of biodiversity conservation - Oapen

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134 The cultural context of biodiversity conservation ciprocal relations with the economic and social dimensions of human resource use activities. Investigations in cooperation with 17 communities have been undertaken in the fields of biology, agronomy and sociology. Integrating socio-economic with ecological information by combining quantitative and qualitative data may provide new perspectives on nature conservation and sustainable resource use. Data collection on land use systems, soil characteristics and water quality (Monzón Miranda 1999) was conducted in the park itself and in adjacent zones, just as numerous studies on flora and fauna have been carried out. Further studies were undertaken with the objective to investigate specific taxonomies with local specialists from the surrounding communities. A study in ethno-botany (Chaves Herrera 2001), for instance, explored 209 plant species being used for medical purpose in the area. Another recent study aimed at negotiating with community members to reduce the hunting activities to a sustainable level in the area. Hunting for domestic consumption has always been an important subsistence activity among Q'eqchi' peasants. As pressure on land intensified and forest habitats have been reduced, overhunting and poaching in the National Park became a problem – having a direct impact on wildlife populations, especially of birds and mammals. At the same time, it has an impact on ecosystems, reducing the populations of animals engaged in herbivory and seed dispersal, thus affecting the plant abundance as well. Despite its significance in the livelihoods of the villagers, there are clear indications that the abundance of wildlife is diminishing (around 250 persons from the surrounding villages hunt regularly an estimated 1,000 birds and 30,000 mammals per year). In order to respond to this situation, the objective of the project has been to analyse the impact of hunting in the context of the current socio-economic situation and the management of the National Park. The research was based on the assumption that hunting is harmful to wildlife, if it is not adequately regulated. To ensure the continued survival of game species as well as the continuation of an activity of cultural significance, it is important to limit hunting to a less harmful level. The investigation was based on the monitoring carried out by local peasants themselves, as they acquired detailed knowledge of the habitat, behaviour and migration patterns of the animals. The programme was initiated to determine which species of major fauna are important in hunting activities and aimed at an understanding of hunting cycles and their importance in the local household economy of peasant farmers. The outcome of the joint evaluation consisted in the elaboration of a calendar indicating temporal restrictions to hunting practices (Fig. 4.7). 65 65 For a general introduction, see the study Hunting of Wildlife in Tropical Forests. Implications for Biodiversity and Forest Peoples by Bennett and Robinson (2000).
The local context Fig. 4.7 Discussion on hunting regulations 4.4 The ethnographic context In the larger framework of the co-management concept being applied in the environment of the National Park, the current investigation was associated with a research project of the Escuela de Biología that applied an ethno-ecological approach to document indigenous farmers' resource use patterns. The specific objective of this application-oriented research was to identify local knowledge and practices that may contribute to better responding to environmental changes and may even be better adapted to the specific conditions than externally introduced technologies. The joint collection of data with biologist Sindy Hernández was conducted in two communities at the margins of the park between May and September 2002 and completed during a last visit in March 2003. Given the essential need for competence in multiple disciplines as they are applied in the field, our experience confirmed the claim as expressed by Kempton (2001: 62) that ethnographic research on ethnoecological knowledge cannot be done without collaboration with biologists. While the lack of a clearly bounded object of study often hindered concerted work within the German research team, the joint research with my Guatemalan counterpart Sindy Hernández turned out to be a very fruitful experience as we could clearly identify fields of common interest. Although departing from different professional and cultural backgrounds, we succeeded in finding a ›common language‹, which might have been due to an intellectual and personal correspondence in terms of a shared ›worldview‹. As has been already mentioned, the investigations did not follow a straightforward, systematic research design based on established hypotheses. Departing from the given framework related to the CBD and an outline based on provisions dealing with indigenous knowledge, the research progressed successively along a winding path. On the basis of a number of potential research questions, relevant themes and matters for discussion were specified as the research process developed. The encounter with the 135
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Göttinger Beiträge zur Ethnologie
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Published in 2008 by Universitätsv
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Bibliographische Information der De
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CONTENTS Acknowledgements Prologue
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Contents 5.2 The context of meaning
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Acknowledgements Many other friends
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ABBREVIATIONS ADICI Asociación de
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2 The cultural context of biodivers
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10 The cultural context of biodiver
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3 THE DISCURSIVE CONTEXT - conceptu
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The discursive context paradigms ar
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The discursive context environmenta
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The discursive context of pluralist
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The discursive context mental chang
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The discursive context and the ›s
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The discursive context More critica
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The discursive context 3.1.3 Concep
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The discursive context ristic power
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The discursive context Given the hi
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The discursive context frame that g
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The discursive context agencies eng
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The discursive context In the end,
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The discursive context entific cred
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The discursive context in a protect
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The discursive context Wells and Br
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The discursive context accelerated
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The discursive context Beyond its s
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The discursive context tivity that
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The discursive context a religious
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The discursive context The sense of
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The discursive context to us as adu
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The discursive context In this way,
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The discursive context concurrence.
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Page 125 and 126: 4 THE LOCAL CONTEXT - national poli
Page 127 and 128: The local context 4.1.1 Biological
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Page 141 and 142: The local context 4.2.2 Historical
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Page 161 and 162: 5 LOCAL EXPRESSIONS OF INDIGENOUS K
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Local expressions of indigenous kno
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250 The cultural context of biodive
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252 The cultural context of biodive
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EPILOGUE At the end of my last stay
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REFERENCES
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References Atran, Scott et al. (200
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References Brush, Stephen B. & Dore
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References Dove, Michael (1996). Ce
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References Gari, Josep-Antoni (2000
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References Hajer, Maarten & Frank F
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References Kockelman, Paul (2003).
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References Messer, Ellen (2001). Th
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References Oviedo, Gonzalo/Luisa Ma
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References Redford, Kent/Katrina Br
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References — (2002a). Participant
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References UNEP-WCMC (2003). Tradit
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APPENDIX
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Appendix Map 4.3 Alta Verapaz and m
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Göttinger Studien zur Ethnologie h
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