REDISCOVERY OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AS ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT

Ecological ApplicationsVolume 10, Issue 5 p. 1251-1262 Article REDISCOVERY OF TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AS ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT Fikret Berkes, Fikret Berkes Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorJohan Colding, Johan Colding Natural Resources Management, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden and Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, S-10405 Stockholm, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorCarl Folke, Carl Folke Natural Resources Management, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden and Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, S-10405 Stockholm, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author Fikret Berkes, Fikret Berkes Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorJohan Colding, Johan Colding Natural Resources Management, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden and Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, S-10405 Stockholm, SwedenSearch for more papers by this authorCarl Folke, Carl Folke Natural Resources Management, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden and Beijer International Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Box 50005, S-10405 Stockholm, SwedenSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 October 2000 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1251:ROTEKA]2.0.CO;2Citations: 1,778Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Indigenous groups offer alternative knowledge and perspectives based on their own locally developed practices of resource use. We surveyed the international literature to focus on the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in monitoring, responding to, and managing ecosystem processes and functions, with special attention to ecological resilience. Case studies revealed that there exists a diversity of local or traditional practices for ecosystem management. These include multiple species management, resource rotation, succession management, landscape patchiness management, and other ways of responding to and managing pulses and ecological surprises. Social mechanisms behind these traditional practices include a number of adaptations for the generation, accumulation, and transmission of knowledge; the use of local institutions to provide leaders/stewards and rules for social regulation; mechanisms for cultural internalization of traditional practices; and the development of appropriate world views and cultural values. Some traditional knowledge and management systems were characterized by the use of local ecological knowledge to interpret and respond to feedbacks from the environment to guide the direction of resource management. These traditional systems had certain similarities to adaptive management with its emphasis on feedback learning, and its treatment of uncertainty and unpredictability intrinsic to all ecosystems. Citing Literature Volume10, Issue5October 2000Pages 1251-1262 This article also appears in:Centennial Special: Notable Papers in ESA History RelatedInformation