Ethnoecology: meeting point for nature and culture

Abstract

Ethnoecology: meeting point for nature and culture.

Ethnoecology has been defined as the interdisciplinary study of the knowledge, practices, and believes of human groups about their environment. Ethnoecology started in the 1960’s with an interest in documenting how indigenous peoples classified environmental features such as plant species. By the mid-1980s, the international recognition of the potential value of local ecological knowledge generated increasing academic interest in the topic. Researchers started studying local ecological knowledge as a way to help humans adapt to their environment. During the last two decades ethnoecological research has stressed how local ecological knowledge might be used in applied fields such as conservation and development. In this article, we 1) review the historical development of ethnoecology, 2) discuss current topics of research in ethnoecology, and 3) outline the main challenges faced by ethnoecology, so the discipline can contribute to understand and manage current environmental problems.