XIII. Human-animal Relations Across Diverse Environments and Places

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), a species of cultural significance and vital protein source for Interior Salish communities in British Columbia, have experienced population declines. Colonial land management and regulations slow-to-adapt to the impacts of mega-wildfires have led to widespread habitat destruction and intensified pressures on ecosystems. This study engaged Elders, hunters, land guardians, and knowledge keepers from seven St’át’imc communities through 33 semi-structured interviews, community workshops, and hunters’ dinners to identify challenges, values, and priorities for mule deer stewardship. Participants emphasized the importance of honouring St’át’imc sovereignty and enabling traditional land stewardship to restore mule deer populations and develop new management frameworks. Beyond ecological benefits, the study reveals how revitalizing hunting practices fosters cultural resurgence, health, and well-being in St’át’imc communities, contributing to reconciliation and accountability. Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental shift in governance to enact Indigenous-led conservation so benefits for the land and all people can be realized.

Oysters provide a variety of ecosystem services, ranging from shoreline protection, to pollution alleviation, to supporting culturally important fisheries. However, not all of these ecosystem services can be maximized - one does not want to eat an oyster that was planted to sequester toxins from coastal waters! In this project we explore the various stakeholders in Long Island, New York and the various ways they interact with oysters on their shores. We bring together voices from Indigenous communities, yacht owners, shellfish farmers, town governments and many others whose lives intersect with oysters in meaningful ways. Despite this diversity of viewpoints we find that there are similarities in perceived threats and shared values. We view these data through a feminist conservation lens where we seek to build collaboration around shared values to protect the variety of lifeways that are dependent on being in relationship with oysters.

Recreational anglers’ ecological knowledge and perceptions might include those of alien organisms and might be particularly important in monitoring and revealing the causes of aquatic invasions. To learn more about anglers’ knowledge and perceptions of alien plant species, 72 field interviews were conducted between 2021 and 2023 at four regularly fished freshwater bodies in Hungary. During interviews, photographs of 12 alien plant species were shown. Those regularly fishing at thermal water habitats were able to identify correctly more of the invasive plants. Two of the anglers confessed that a plant species and a fish species previously held in aquaria had been intentionally released into the wild by them. We suggest that anglers are an untapped resource in defining and implementing conservation strategies that could counter the spread and establishment of aquatic plant invasives.

Snakes are typically linked to fear and aversion within human communities. However, few traditional communities perceive snakes as bio-resources. We studied Human-snake interactions through questionnaire surveys with 347 participants in the Nicobar Archipelago between February 2023 and July 2023. Our findings revealed the dual nature of human-snake interactions; Indigenous communities value snakes such as Reticulated Python and pit vipers for medicine and meat, yet the persistence of Negative Attitudes towards the snakes remains. These sentiments towards snakes and their conservation, accompanied by fear due to personal snake bite encounters, drove the inclination towards retaliatory killings of snakes. To bridge this gap, we suggest an urgent requirement for the integration of indigenous knowledge systems in conservation planning and awareness programs to foster harmonious human-snake coexistence. Traditional medicines for snake bites retained popularity among the communities hence incorporating traditional medicine into modern treatment could enhance community acceptance.

Insects are an important part of the multispecies assemblage that makes up the indigenous cosmology of the Lotha peoples of Nagaland, India. The dead that turned into grasshoppers, katydids, bees that roam the rice fields, and silkworm that demand care, all constitute a rich multispecies landscape that has been a part of the Lotha way-of-being for millennia. This multispecies ethnography traces the plethora of stories of multispecies reciprocity and relatedness between the Lotha and their insect companions in the hills of Nagaland, giving insight into the political, cultural, and environmental ecosystems of the Lotha.