This work presents collective scenarios co-created with Indigenous peoples considering traditional practices as a way to overcome current deforestation and socioeconomic challenges. Using participatory methods, we interviewed 53 individuals from Kaingang and Guarani Peoples in six communities (Paraná, Brazil) to co-create future scenarios. They have been facing a vulnerable socioeconomic situation, relying on government assistance, and are susceptible to external pressure, which is increasing land leasing and illegal wood sales in the indigenous land. Guided by the Ethnographic Futures Research protocol, our findings revealed a local interest in revitalizing traditional practices to manage their crops, especially concerning the maintenance of yerba-mate (Illex paraguaiensis) and pinhão (Araucaria augustifolia seed). Additionally, locals are interested in identifying alternative sustainable community-based activities that could be implemented there. The current conservation initiatives do not generate significant economic returns for communities, whereas land leasing for the agribusiness market is advancing, exacerbating forest degradation.
The ever-growing interest from scientists and land managers in Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices has, for many communities, resulted in increasing engagement fatigue and demands for more community-led and culturally responsive approaches. In this presentation we draw on collaborative research with Skeetchestn, a Secwépemc Nation community located in interior British Columbia, Canada, to highlight the role of Indigenous 'territorial patrol' programs in leading innovative approaches to community engagement and land stewardship. We describe Skeetchestn’s model of 'community ride alongs', in which Elders and resource users are invited to join territorial patrol staff as they drive and monitor the territory, and how this facilitates community documentation of cultural knowledge, sites and observations of landscape change; identification of community priorities for restoration; and “restorying” the territory, through inter-generational sharing of stories, memories and oral tradition. These findings demonstrate the value of community- and land-based engagement approaches, and the potential to scale up collaborative stewardship through Indigenous territorial patrols.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Dolan
, Jessica - National Park Service Region 1 Tribal and Cultural Affairs Program
Anderson
, Rhonda - Western Massachusetts Commisioner on Indian Affairs
This paper introduces our burgeoning work to build a regional Indigenous biocultural stewardship network that will connect people across Indigenous nations and generations, with the allied support of federal, state, academic, and NGO institutions. Communities across the Northeastern Woodlands have been experiencing the effects of climate change, in particular through extensive flooding of rivers and their tributaries. We must develop adaptive stewardship strategies that will integrate ecosystem approaches, collaboration across organizations and agencies, and intergenerational knowledge transfer. Our network will organize around the Connecticut/ Kwenitekw and the St. Lawrence/ Kaniataronwanenneh watersheds and tributaries, and integrate Indigenous and allied stewards to facilitate intergenerational transmission of knowledge and skills and strengthen riverine and riparian stewardship. Indigenous stewardship practices do not separate environmental health and human health. So, the foci of our network may include cultural keystone species/ harvesting skills workshops, planting food forests, dam removal work, managing overpopulous species, cultural burning, and monitoring for contaminants.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Law
, Justine - Sonoma State University
How should we manage forests for fire? Most fire scientists and forest managers advocate more active management through thinnings, prescribed burns, etc. These fuel management practices are intended to prevent catastrophic fire and, often, resuscitate indigenous land management regimes. But another body of scholarship argues that fuel management only makes wildfires more damaging. This “dissident” scholarship has made its way into popular media and the messaging of various environmental organizations, and it has ignited a fierce debate. This debate, however, leaves out important perspectives: the perspectives of people who do land resilience work. Here I draw on new ethnographic fieldwork in the American West to share what the people who physically manage landscapes for fire (e.g. forestry technicians, US Forest Service certified sawyers, and certified indigenous land workers) think of this debate. In doing so, I foreground their ecological knowledge, forest stewardship practices, and views on fire science.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Mefford
, Ethan - UCLA
In the Jbāla hill country of northern Morocco, ḥubus (pious endowments) from the 19th century record the historical, socio-religious landscapes of the region's limestone heights. Craggy outcroppings above nucleated villages appear to be thickets of wild olive, cultivated olive, and mastic. However, ḥubus endowments – bequest or purchase deeds by which the village mosque acquired and oversaw trees – reveal the contours of a socially constituted landscape. Nested communal relations were perennially inscribed in the landscape, marked out by environmental features: a tree's shadow, a notorious wild olive, or a salient rock.
Diana Davis traced the development and impact of French colonial environmental imaginaries of North Africa, yet local environmental imaginaries are overlooked. These never-before-used archives of pious bequests, gleaned from local ministry offices, provide an entry into these imaginaries through the religio-legal genre, illustrating how life and hope for the afterlife were reified in the dense groves of the limestone heights.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Niesner
, Chase - UC Berkeley, ESPM
Since the concept of “cultural keystone species” has entered the conservation biology lexicon, much as been made about what qualifies a given species as such, and much work has been done as well to expand the concept to consider not only specific species, but also places and cultural practices more generally. In the following presentation, I will use the philosopher Félix Guatarri’s notion of “ecosophy” to consider another such possible dimension of the cultural keystone landscape: human subjectivity. If the environment and social relations gives rise to one’s sense of self, then what potentially is the role of other species in this process of self-fashioning, whether through identification, human-wildlife conflict, or admiration of beauty? By considering a few ways multispecies relations contribute to the critical components of human subjectification, my aim is to bring more awareness to some of the sensibilities, intelligences, and desires that might allow us to do the work of conservation biology better.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Oeggerli
, Virginia - The University of British Columbia
Grenz
, Jennifer - The University of British Columbia
Post-wildfire restoration has been criticized by affected Interior Salish Indigenous communities in British Columbia, Canada, as lacking data-driven responses and ignoring Indigenous values such as impacts to traditional food systems. We assessed wildfire impacts on vegetation trajectories using both western scientific and Indigenous research methods. Examining percent cover of plants within 80 plots throughout the 2021 McKay Creek wildfire, we hypothesized that analyses using colonial plant classifications would not provide results which are culturally relevant. We found that colonial plant categories, such as “native”, masked impacts to culturally significant plants important to the St’át’imc Nation. Utilizing St’at’imc-determined plant classifications provided deeper insights into the recovery of mule deer forages and St’át’imc food and medicinal plants. Integration of Indigenous knowledges and values are critical for data-driven restoration planning and will provide an accurate post-wildfire recovery story needed to guide restoration planning and resource allocation.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Villar
, Daniel - University of Oxford, UK
Gutiérrez Tito
, Edwin Gutiérrez - SERNANP, Peru
Paca-Condori
, Anahi - Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Velásquez-Noriega
, Paola - Museo Nacional de Historia Nacional, Bolivia
Mamani Mamani
, Edilio - SERNANP, Peru
Arivilca Vilca
, Mario - SERNANP, Peru
Moreno Terrazas
, Edmundo - Universidad Nacional del Altiplano, Peru
Thomsen
, Bastian - University of Sydney, Australia
Gosler
, Andrew - University of Oxford, UK
Even long-standing and regulated forms of LEK are vulnerable to erosion as market forces spread to regions which have historically been peripheral to them. We consider changes in knowledge and use of a cultural keystone species, totora sedge (Schoenoplectus californicus subp. tatora), in the Altiplano of Bolivia and Peru around Lake Titicaca. Totora has been used for a variety of purposes and historically its cultivation and planting was regulated by village co-operative councils, called ayllus. However, recent ethnographic surveys have shown significantly reduced totora use. This decline, alongside with the disappearance of the regulatory power of ayllus have primarily been driven by the integration of the Altiplano into the global market system, which has led to the replacement of totora with industrially manufactured goods, such as plastics and concrete.
08:30 to 11:00 (Thursday)
II. Challenging the Demonization of Wild Animals: Examining the Cultural Context for Conflict and Co-existence
Certain wild animals are targeted for killing when they are perceived to be a threat to humans, livestock, crops or fish. Such animals include wolves, sharks, buffalo, bats, vultures, orcas, bears, snakes, owls, sloths, hawks, and jaguars. Once these animals are declared to be a “problem,” support for killing them is mobilized through political assumptions that usually remain unexamined. These conflicts often derive from severe disruptions in animal habitats caused by human actions, such as encroachment by humans and disruption of migration pathways. These problems have been exacerbated by the climate crisis with the ensuing forest fires and flooding. Moreover, in some cases there is little or no scientific evidence to support such claims about animal threats, and other possible explanations are ignored. When the demonized animal image is applied to targeted human groups, this is used to justify repression and even genocide by referring to people as “animals.” Yet in other cases the same animal may be viewed as threatening in one context and beneficial in another. This session asks how an ethnobiological perspective can clarify the underlying symbolic meaning of these perceptions and suggest alternative responses to perceived threats.
Edmund Leach observed that dogs, pigs, foxes, and other animals are used to insult people, as in: “You dog! You swine!” (1964). He concluded that many of these animals are structurally anomalous because they can be domestic and yet wild (like swine) or flourish in both wild and settled habitats (like foxes), thus crossing and messing up culturally important boundaries. Smith (2021) and Kteily (2015) have written on dehumanization, including the practice of calling people rats, cockroaches, and other animals associated with dirt and darkness. This paper extends their work to examine further characteristics of animal images as terms of abuse. Many animals are mistreated or exterminated, after demonizing them to excuse or justify such actions. In the process, people project their worst feelings about people onto the animals in question. Examining such projection and displacement provides insight into dehumanization and the ensuing mass murder.
08:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Barone
, Devon - BEAR League
Bryant
, Ann - BEAR League
American black bears’ characterization as intelligent opportunistic omnivores who live to eat anything and everything, especially high calorie foods that are easy to access, translates directly into a preference for human foods that makes them prone to conflict. The Lake Tahoe Basin has some of the clearest examples of this, due to its high urban density adjacent to native forest, among many other complicating factors. The BEAR League exists to help residents and visitors of Lake Tahoe coexist with its bear population, under the recognition that “a fed bear is a dead bear” and that helping bears unlearn their dependence on human food requires a group effort. When a bear is deemed to be “habituated to human food” by California or Nevada’s Departments of Wildlife or if a citizen is issued a depredation permit, the bear is trapped and killed. Unfounded fears and hunting-oriented politics compound this human-induced problem.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Hernandez
, Katherine - UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability
In 2012 a puma in Los Angeles County known as P-22 entered the public eye when he was spotted by camera traps set in Griffith park, and remained in the area until he was humanely euthanized in 2022. In both life and death, P-22 was treated as an unofficial mascot for the city of Los Angeles, highlighted in news media, artistic expression, and in campaigns for the world’s largest wildlife crossing now being built over a major LA freeway. In this study, we ask how has the quantity and content of Los Angeles Times newspaper coverage on mountain lions changed since before, during, and after P-22? And what could this tell us about "charisma" and celebrity as conservation tactics? We've used Atlas.ti to code and analyze thousands of Los Angeles Times newspaper articles related to mountain lions from 1997 to 2023, and other Southern California nespapers for comparison.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Mee
, Allan - Iolar Ecology
Predatory mammals and birds were widespread when humans first arrived in Ireland around 11,000bp. While humans were responsible for at least one extinction (Eurasian Lynx), there is evidence that humans and large predatory wildlife coexisted up to and after the Anglo-Norman invasion. Persecution of large predators was enshrined in law by the 16th century, coinciding with the repression of indigenous Gaelic culture. By the 19th century, eagle populations were much reduced and confined to the more remote coast and islands. Accounts confirm the destruction of eagle populations culminating in extinction by the early 20th century. Reintroduction is an increasingly important tool in species conservation. However, restoring ‘lost’ species where human-wildlife knowledge has been extirpated is often difficult. Shifting baselines, loss of cultural knowledge and the prevalence of colonial mindsets are barriers to successful reintroduction and species recovery. Historical perspectives are important in understanding, addressing and, hopefully, resolving human-wildlife conflicts.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Miller
, Katharina - Carleton University
Berg
, Georgina - Indigenous Knowledge Keepers of Churchill
Knowledge Keepers of Churchill
, Indigenous
Lickers
, Michael - Royal Roads University
McIvor
, Nickia - Knowledge Holder, Churchill, Manitoba
Henri
, Dominique - Environment and Climate Change Canada
Polar bears are coming into northern communities more frequently, and human-polar bear conflict is increasing. However, in the community of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, people live alongside polar bears with high tolerance and reciprocal respect. Through this case study, we explored human-polar bear coexistence in the community through Indigenous voices, documented social-ecological change, and mobilized recommendations as future visions to inform inclusive management and research strategies: elevate Indigenous knowledge, support proactive management and less invasive research, cultivate a culture of coexistence, improve education and safety awareness, and protect polar bears to support tourism. We used community-based participatory research, coproduction of knowledge, hands back, hands forward, and storytelling, mixing methods from the social sciences and Indigenous ways of knowing. Our study revealed coexistence can be a tool to bridge social and ecological knowledge, examine and facilitate wildlife conservation, and promote well-being through applied research on global issues at the local level.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Nair
, Sreekishen - University of Minnesota - College of Design
This study discusses the ecological imagery on pages 9-16 of the Codex Laud, a sacred manuscript from central Mexico composed by indigenous scribes around the 14th-15th centuries CE. The glyphs and illustrations on these pages, whose exact meanings remain unsettled in current research, delineate an almanac that associates distinct cycles of time with different divinities, four of whom preside over the sun, rain, and plant cultivation. They are accompanied by specific birds that migrate seasonally through central Mexico, suggesting that the almanac might be better understood in terms of regional phenology. This paper argues that the almanac’s imagery cites seasonal bird activity to mark annual solar stations (e.g., solstices and equinoctial quarter-days), which it graphically aligns with weather patterns, planting cycles, and the 260-day ritual calendar once widely observed in Mexico. Its authors applied their keen understanding of avian behavior to visually correlate sacred timekeeping with agricultural practices.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Pierotti
, Raymond - University of Kansas
Western Science regards naturally occurring hybridization as representing error in mate choice, thus demonizing natural hybridization, which is now recognized as an important evolutionary process, challenging this line of thinking. For example, analysis of phylogenetic relationships among white-headed gulls revealed that ecological and sexual selection are not strong enough to complete reproductive isolation among several species in this complex.
In the 1970’s, many Black ducks were found carrying Mallard DNA, raising concerns about long-term viability. Research revealed that hybrid offspring rarely breed back with pure Black Ducks, limiting gene flow back into black duck populations. More recently, Barred Owls have been considered invasive to the range of spotted owls, being larger, more aggressive, and more numerous. USFWS is considering a strategy to remove Barred owls, which proposes killing up to 450,000 Barred Owls over 30 years. This represents demonization, revealing Eugenics-based, ineffective Conservation approaches which must be resisted.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Sault
, Nicole - Sally Glean Center
People recognize birds as important for not only their anatomy and behavior but their symbolic meaning, which is culturally variable. For example, hummingbirds are associated with war in some cultures and hospitality in others. Birds have been seen as guardians and teachers who speak to individuals, kin groups, and nations. However, in the globalized technocratic society of today, birds are redefined as objects to be used for manipulation and coercion. The corporate media promote a utilitarian view of birds that emphasizes superficial aspects for consumer culture. Relational meaning and spiritual essence have been replaced by commodified images for video games; governments utilize caricatures of birds to manipulate the governed; and mililtary authorities weaponize bird images for bombers, helicopters, and drones. Nevertheless, contrasting worldviews continue to survive. What alternative meanings are emerging that engage people and encourage them in redefining their relationship to birds, people, and their surroundings?
08:30 to 11:00 (Thursday)
III. Biocultural Heritage & Ecocultural Relationality
When species of plants and animals move across the world, it is often called migration, introduction, or invasion. However, when a people with a shared homeland and culture migrate across the globe, it is called diaspora. Our team conducts research on the diasporic spread and culture, thus diaspora, of the Bodhi tree (Ficus religiosa), the tree of enlightenment in Buddhism, on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. This research includes three facets unified under a transdisciplinary approach: a genetic analysis of Bodhi tree DNA lineages, the invasive trajectories and implications of the Bodhi tree on Kaua’i, as well as overview of the contemporary Japanese culture in Kaua’i that considers these trees to be sacred. This presentation will share our ongoing analysis and illustrate a holistic view of the plant’s impacts in a non-native region, and introduce our future goals to extend research to two more Hawaiian islands, O’ahu and Maui.
08:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Bye
, Robert - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Linares
, Edelmira - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
The Sierra Madre Occidental has served as a North-South conduit for people and plants for millennia. Its dissected altitudinal gradient of more than 2800 m is cloaked with tropical and temperate floras with more than 2200 vascular plant species of which more than a quarter contribute to the Rarámuri (Tarahumara) people's corporal and spiritual well-being. The interactions and relationships between the Rarámuri and their vegetal world are manifested through interregional trade between communities in the “sierra” (mountains) and those in the “barranca” (deep canyons) as well as contrasting agrobiodiversity. Analysis of ethnobotanical documentations by “Relaciones Topográficas” (1700s), Edward Plalmer (1885), Carl Lumholtz (1890s), W. Bennett and R. Zingg (1930s), Campbell Pennington (1950s) and our team (since 1970s) reveals distinctive patterns of continuity and discontinuity of biocultural resources resulting from climate change, deforestation, immigration, and tourism.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Cannon
, Carrie - Hualapai Tribe
The Hualapai Indain Reservation of northwestern Arizona has four species of yucca characteristic of the Mojave Desert. The majority of the fifty yucca species thrive in the American Southwest, while others extend into Mexico and Guatemala. Yucca species have an extraordinary relationship with nature--a story of survival and collaboration. With little exception, each species depends on a specific moth for pollination, creating an exclusive bond. This mutual dependence, known as obliage mutualism, represents one of nature's most delicate and enduring partnerships. For millenia, the Hualapai and other Southwest Tribes have cultivated a deep connection with yucca for food, fiber, basketry, fuel, and sandals. These sandals, among Puebloan groups, were often woven with intricate geometric designs mirroring patterns found in pottery, textiles, and baskets, showcasing an extraordinary cultual artistry. This presentation explores the enduring connection between Tribes and yucca species of the region, tracing its significance through history to present-day.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Hart-Fredeluces
, Georgia - Idaho State University
Reciprocal caretaking relationships between people and the environment support equity and sustainability by reinforcing social norms like sharing, not taking more than you need, and showing gratitude. While reciprocal caretaking includes emotional bonds, little research has explored the role of emotion in shaping such relationships. Here, we draw from interviews with smallholder farmers in the Philippines to understand if and how reciprocal caretaking occurs between farmers and the endemic pili tree (Canarium ovatum), and to explore the role of emotion in shaping such caretaking. We find that farmers love and cherish pili as kin, due, in part, to its faithful persistence as a source of livelihood and thriving across generations. This kincentric love then reinforces and strengthens material and symbolic caretaking practices such as weeding, smudging, and singing to pili. This study helps illuminate the importance of emotion in creating and sustaining people-environment relationships that support sustainability.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Kwon
, June Hee - California State University Sacramento
Citrus farming has been a defining industry on Jeju Island, shaping its ecology, economy, and daily life for several decades. However, the commercialization of citrus as a widely accessible fruit only began in the 1960s. This transformation was sparked by Koreans in Japan—displaced from Jeju during and after the colonial era—who sent Japanese citrus trees as gifts to aid the economic revival of their impoverished homeland. Since then, Jeju's citrus farming industry has flourished, supported by Japanese training programs, the introduction of new citrus species, and technological advancements. This paper addresses the growing need to integrate native citrus species into Jeju's farming landscape. Drawing on a year of archival and field research conducted in Jeju and Japan, it examines the ecological and economic implications of "nativeness," considering intellectual property rights and cultural connections to local territory and the natural environment in Jeju, South Korea.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Mathu
, Patricia - Purdue University
Turner
, Madeline Augusta - Stanford University
Hartson
, Taylor E. - Notre Dame
Almanacs are prophetic: they speculate on agrarian futures through close attention to the present. Almanacs have rich agricultural histories and new “counteralmanacs” (Blanchette and LaFlamme 2019:59) play on their form to creatively respond to contemporary uncertainties like social inequity and environmental degradation. Playing in the Dirt is a collaborative art book featuring work from over two dozen queer midwestern farmers. Not unlike the zines of punk and queer communities, this alternatively-published book and participatory research project explores the worlds and ecologies of queer growers through a counteralmanac form. LGBTQIA+ landworkers have much to share about joy, relationships, futurity, and biology - and counteralmanacs became a powerful tool for exploring, co-creating, and disseminating their knowledge(s). From hand-dyed paper to a sliding scale contribution for sale, we bring forward how “playing in the dirt” transgresses metaphors, mediums, and methods.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Miller
, Andrew - First Nations University of Canada
This presentation provides highlights of a 7-year collaborative effort with Touchwood Agency Tribal Council Elders of central Saskatchewan, Canada to document Plains Cree (nêhiyaw) bird stories and cultural meanings. Birds are relatives, sources of food, messengers, allies, and possessors of power. Elders recognize that all birds are related to the thunderbird, the allies of the Creator and possess mysterious powers of flight, speed, vision, and speech. Waterfowl, including ducks, geese, and swans contribute tremendously to community economies through their contributions of eggs, meat, and bones and are hunted from their spring arrival, breeding, molting, and fall migration periods. Numerous birds including turkey vulture, grebe, owl, American crow, and sharp-tailed grouse acquired their appearance from humorous interactions with the Older Brother (Nânapohš). Others including black-capped chickadee, common loon, western meadowlark, and great-horned owl have calls that sound like Cree words that amuse, frighten, and remind listeners of cultural meanings.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Solankar
, Saish
Subsistence farming and hunting are an integral part of the Lotha way of life. Foraging for banana shoot and wild herbs, collecting longhorn beetle from bamboos, and hunting wild birds are all elements that contribute to the broader food culture and practices of the community. Centuries of engaging in these practices in their ancestral homelands have created a Lotha manifestation of Ogden’s “Hunters’ Landscape” an arena for the entanglements of a multispecies of the human, non-human, and beyond-the-human, creating multispecies becomings and possibilities. Today, these landscapes across the state of Nagaland are subject to an influx of monocrop plantations such as rubber, and more recently, oil palm. Within these shifting physicalities lies the political ecology of hunting and farming set in the context of a contemporary state and economy. How has this multispecies landscape changed - and how do the Lotha negotiate their nature-dependent identities - within the context of the plantationocene and a broader changing environment?
08:45 to 11:00 (Thursday)
IV. Traversing Past Landscapes and Human-Environment Interactions
Landscape archaeology emphasizes the ways that past peoples shaped the environment and how the environment can simultaneously impact human societies. Not bound by study region or time period, this session emphasizes the diverse landscapes that humans have co-created and called home through time. We seek to showcase human-environment interactions through various archaeological subfields, theoretical lenses, and methodological approaches. Presenters interested in human-animal and human-plant relationships are welcome, but so too are those interested in biomolecular archaeology, the built environment, paleoclimate modeling, and beyond. Our goal is to highlight the ethnobiological relevance of landscape archaeology and to provide new ways to appreciate the dynamic history of places.
Zooarchaeology provides valuable insights into human impacts on past landscapes, especially when untangling questions of overhunting and resource depression. These processes require multiple targeted analyses to understand the individual influences of human and environmental factors on animals. Mule deer in the late pre-Hispanic central Mesa Verde region offer an excellent case study for understanding the importance of using zooarchaeological methods to isolate signatures of (un)sustainable resource use. Mule deer are culturally and dietarily significant, making their scarcity in the archaeological record from Pueblo I–III (750–1350 CE) a potential indicator of overhunting. While overhunting has been hypothesized as a cause of mule deer decline, supported by multiple strong case studies and relative abundance data (and indices), this interpretation warrants careful evaluation. Multiple analytical tools should be used to evaluate claims of unsustainable resource use. This study reevaluates the overhunting hypothesis using body size and mortality profile analyses, aiming to clarify hunting practices and their ecological impacts through time.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Dombrosky
, Jonathan - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Sinensky
, R. J. - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Ryan
, Susan C. - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Copeland
, Steve - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
Satterwhite
, R. David - Crow Canyon Archaeological Center
The Haynie site (5MT1905), an Ancestral Pueblo village in southwest Colorado, was intermittently occupied from approximately 700 to 1280 CE. Since 2017, the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center has investigated its role within local and regional networks, its function as a community center, and its interactions with the surrounding landscape. Excavations in 10th- and 11th-century CE contexts uncovered five bison (Bison bison) specimens, a notable find for the Mesa Verde region during this time. These remains, found across different stratigraphic levels, represent a Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI) of one, raising questions about how many individuals are represented. Were these remains locally procured or acquired through long-distance networks? This research uses AMS radiocarbon dating of bison and plant specimens and stable isotopic (δ13C) modeling to assess depositional rates and provenance. These analyses reveal patterns of resource acquisition, depositional practices, and the site’s integration into broader environmental and cultural landscapes.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Emslie
, Steven - University of North Carolina Wilmington
Many cave deposits in the western U.S. are rich in late Pleistocene vertebrate fossils. These caves are usually deep, dry, and located in arid environments where preservation of organic remains is highest. Many of these same caves were used by prehistoric peoples for hunting camps, shelters, or ceremonial purposes as evinced by cultural features, artifact assemblages and/or pictographs. Radiocarbon dating can reveal chronological differences between human artifacts and Pleistocene fossils, both of which are often found in the same layers and appear contemporaneous. Here I describe several cases of caves with apparent associations of human artifacts with Pleistocene fossils that resulted from taphonomic processes during a climatic transition from late Pleistocene to Holocene environments. Real associations also occur in some caves and may relate to recognition by prehistoric peoples of ‘ancestral animals’ in bones and fecal remains of species no longer present in the region by the early Holocene.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Hastorf
, Christine - University of California Berkeley
Bruno
, Maria - University of Nevada Reno
Generations of ethnographers have documented many rituals that contribute to Andean food production, from subtle coca offerings to community-scale canal cleaning festivals. Here, we discuss rituals conducted annually in the community of Chiripa on the Taraco Peninsula, Bolivia to predict and to temper crop production. From two seasons of ethnographic work, we have learned about signals that exist across the landscape predicting moisture levels, how to protect springs, along with rituals to protect the agricultural lands and yields. We present the evidence of these actions, how they link to agricultural practice and the well-being of the landscape. These actions reveal the local understanding of where risk comes from and how to mitigate it. We will consider some of the ways this ethnographic case study can inform our understandings of past ritual ecologies in this landscape.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Jazwa
, Christopher - University of Nevada, Reno
Ainis
, Amira - California State University, Los Angeles
Anderson
, Ryan - Santa Clara University
Miranda
, Veronica - Santa Clara University
Dedrick
, Maia - Santa Clara University
Bulhusen Muñoz
, Karim - ENAH
Calderón Vega
, Alberto - INAH
Archaeological data from coastal shell midden sites can have important implications for understanding long-term variations in ecosystem health and resource abundance. Our work in Cabo Pulmo National Park, Baja California Sur, Mexico, has allowed us to trace long-term patterns of change, with human occupation of the region beginning as early as 7,000 years ago and increasing over the most recent 2,500 years. Like many regions of the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula, Cabo Pulmo and the surrounding East Cape are at imminent risk of development and loss of natural and cultural resources. Our international research team has focused on public outreach and involving the local community to maximize the potential for conservation. In this talk, we will present the results of our archaeological research, including ethnobiological implications, and our community outreach activities, including our outlook for the future of this internationally recognized coastal ecosystem.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
LaZar
, Miranda - University of Arizona
Funk
, Caroline - University at Buffalo
Reuther
, Joshua - University of Alaska Museum of the North
Shirar
, Scott - University of Alaska Museum of the North
Mack
, Liza - Denali Commission
Misarti
, Nicole - University of Alaska Fairbanks
Seabirds are important sentient beings in Unangax̂/Aleut ontologies. Seabird skins were used for everyday parkas as well as magical guises that facilitated transformations of people into birds in ancestral times. The relationships among Unangax̂/Aleuts and seabirds were not uniform across the archipelago; and little is known about relational variation across distinct cultural island groups. Additionally, we expect local ecosystems and oceanographic conditions to influence the histories of people and seabirds on the landscape. We use oral history and ethnohistory accounts of seabirds to complement zooarchaeology and bulk stable isotope analyses in a holistic study of the cultural and ecological relationships that bound the Unangax̂/Aleut and seabirds between Sanak Island and Agattu Island. This study highlights how human interactions with seabirds may have been differently shaped by cultural preferences, influence from neighboring cultural groups, and local environmental conditions on either end of the Aleutian Archipelago.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Welker
, Martin - Arizona State Museum / University of Arizona
Byers
, David - Utah State University
Alston
, Jesse - University of Arizona
The bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) is an iconic North American mammal that is often the focus of intensive conservation programs. These conservation programs typically judge success against historical data--often range maps dating to the 1850s, which coincide with the United States assuming possession of the Southwest from Mexico. Notably, commonly cited 1850s range maps indicate that northeastern Arizona, today largely the Diné (Navajo) Reservation, was devoid of bighorn sheep, even though this region is ecologically suited to the species. One explanation for this incongruity is population decline caused by the transmission of diseases like pneumonia (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) from domestic sheep (Ovis aries) introduced to the region by the Spanish as much as 250 years earlier, and prior to accounts written in English. We examine this idea by documenting the distribution and relative frequency of archaeological bighorn sheep remains and assess whether notable declines occurred prior to the 1850s.
11:15 to 12:15 (Thursday)
V. Plenary Session
Session Type:
Oral
12:30 to 13:30 (Thursday)
VI. Ethnobiologists Sounding the Depths and Scaling the Heights of Global Health in a Changing World
In this roundtable discussion, ethnobiologists demonstrate their broad range of contributions to transdisciplinary explorations of the ways changing interactions between people and their surroundings influence multispecies wellbeing. Roundtable panelists illustrate how they address the conventional concerns of ethnobiology while pushing the envelope with their critical analyses of global health. Panelists aim to capture the real nuances of people’s lives through collaborations with communities who are witnessing, adapting to, mitigating, and otherwise coping with global change. Panelists share how they interpret and explain people’s differential experiences with global change using engaged scholarship combined with empirical research methods framed in robust theories.
This roundtable, hosted by the editors of the Global Change/Global Health book series, showcases the ways engaged scholars can enact change through, among other practices, writing and publishing. Like authors of monographs in the series, panelists in this roundtable at the SoE 2025 conference dive into the health-related causes and consequences of environmental change. We contribute to emerging debates about climate, health, political and social restructurings and comment on global change and global health in relationship to conflicts as well as coalitions. Panelists examine the spatiotemporal depths, heights, and midlands of environmental change where it concerns wellbeing in its full spectrum of meanings.
13:45 to 15:00 (Thursday)
VII. Indigenous Ecosystem Restoration Practices in the Himalayas
The session focuses on bringing to light various ecosystem restoration practices that are culturally relevant to Asian context, with particular referenece India and particular the Southern state of Kerala. The roundtable discussion involves participants with research experience in associated areas of sacred groves,forestry, traditional knowledge systems and practices, and culture. The sessions aims to highlight the culturally ingrained practices which are environment friendly and needs to be protected for the purpose of sustainable living. One of the questions the session tries to address is the erosion of the said practices due to lack of inter-generational communication and how fostering knowledge transfer between generations can help in sustaining indigenous ecosytem restoration practices whether it be of the step well restoration, sacred groves, medicinal gardens, practices like star forest, the concept of consumption of 10 sacred medicinal leaves, plantation of trees to mark the child birth, restoration of rivers, attribution of individual status to rivers, worship of natural entities, existing taboos on defiling places of ecological significance like rivers, wells and so on.
, Amritesh - Amrita School for Sustainable Futures, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
V.S.
, Ramachandran - Centre for Environmental Studies, Amrita School of Engineering
P.K.
, Viswanathan - Amrita School of Business, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
Sacred groves, traditional ecosystems conserved through socio-cultural practices, are an integral part of biodiversity and cultural heritage. However, they are rapidly declining in number and area due to various socio-cultural and ecological challenges. The migration of younger generations to urban areas for education and employment disrupts intergenerational knowledge transfer, weakening efforts to restore and manage these groves. This shift has led to the erosion of socio-cultural practices, the foundation of grove conservation. Additionally, native plant-dominated groves face threats from alien and invasive species, further reducing their ecological value. To address these issues, it is essential to prioritize the prevention of grove degradation alongside conservation. Regular monitoring, removal of invasive species, and the reintroduction of native trees through planting or seed broadcasting are critical steps. Strengthening community involvement and fostering awareness among younger generations are equally vital for preserving the ecological and cultural significance of sacred groves.
Sacred ecology is a living breathing cultural aspect in most Asian countries and especially so in India. Indigenous ecosystem conservation practices in India includes a wide range of activities in its rural and urban landscape often intertwined with cultural and religious practices the benefits of which are unknown to the youth. Most of these eco system conservation practices are viewed through the religious & spiritual lens and often, their value in providing ecological services is overlooked. This paper intends to initiate a dialogue to promote a holistic outlook towards multifarious indigenous eco system conservation practices in India like the sacred groves, sacred trees, step wells, star forests, the consumption of 10 herbal leaves during the monsoon, worship of certain animals and plants, along with the many taboos associated with these practices. Attached to these practices are the many taboos which have in many cases contributed to the ecosystem conservation.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Ormsby
, Alison - Adventure Scientists
Rath
, Subhani - Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University
Understanding the cultural beliefs and practices of indigenous people associated with management of natural resources not only helps in preserving cultural beliefs but also in formulating management policies. The objective of this study was to document the cultural ecosystem services of belief systems associated with ten sacred groves in the Kandhamal district in Odisha, India. Odisha has 37% of its land under forest cover, is home to 62 ethnic tribes, and has about two thousand small sacred groves distributed mostly in tribal districts of the state. The Kandhamal district is the homeland of the Kandha peoples. Field research documented the sizes, cultural traditions, management, and challenges facing the ten study site sacred groves. Understanding the cultural ecosystem services associated with such groves is crucial in formulating strategies to preserve them in the long run.
14:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Sehgal
, Anju Batta - Retd. Principal Govt. College Hamirpur HP India 177005
Medicinal plants, found in high-altitude regions, have played crucial role in traditional medicine systems. There use ranges from enhancing vitality and cognitive function for treating respiratory and digestive conditions. Knowledge of these plants, passed down through generations, underscores deep connection between indigenous peoples and their natural environment. Gurez, is a valley located in higher altitude of Himalayas. At about 13,185 ft above sea level, valley is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Has diverse fauna and wildlife. Artemisia maritima is European species of Wormwood as sea wormwood, is bitter tonic and aromatic. Made use of by country people for intermittent fever, as insect repellent instead of the true Wormwood. Plant is source of the Sesquiterpenoid Santonin. Plant is used for treatment of digestive issues, respiratory ailments, and mild sedative to ease anxiety or promote relaxation. Leaves employed in smudging rituals, its scent was believed to purify spaces and protect against negative energies.
14:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Wangchuk
, Rinchen - Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Forestry Research and Training
Heritage forests represent landscape paradigms of integrated biodiversity conservation and cultural preservation. Bhutan initiated management of Heritage forests (HF) within the locally conserved sacred sites that harmonized socio-ecological well-being through customary practices and religious beliefs. These socio-religious institutions safeguarded ethno-biological heritage and promoted biodiversity conservation stewardship, but many are endangered due to developmental transformations, over exploitation of natural resources, and transgenerational gaps. Eco-cultural explorations of HF are understudied but emerging in Bhutan.
Biodiversity assessment of three HF was studied with nearby SRF as control sites in the cold temperate coniferous ecosystem. Three communities under Ura showcased slight differences in traditional management practices. Socio-culturally protected HF supported globally threatened and culturally concerning local biodiversity species within Phrumsengla National Park. This research provided baseline information on biological diversity assessment within HF while understanding the importance of heritage forests for ethno-biodiversity conservation in Bhutan and beyond.
Local ecological knowledge is being buried by the same communities that actively depended on it for their survival. Often due to urbanization and the limited dissemination of knowledge between generations, urban youth are less likely to come into contact with natural environments and are therefore unequipped to find relevance in ecological knowledge. Given this disconnect, various organizations are developing programs and tangible products to facilitate the learning of ecological knowledge. The Education Fund, an organization based in Miami, Florida, develops programs to mitigate this issue through their installations of food forests within local public schools and with the production of food forest guides. Programs such as these provide students a green space that aids in the ecological knowledge continuum, facilitates active learning through outdoor science-based lessons, and contributes to development of self-sustaining students through the participation of caring for and growing food.
14:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Jones
, Vanessa - The University of British Columbia
Grenz
, Jennifer - The University of British Columbia
The ancient forest gardens of the Ts’mysen, Gitanyow, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish reflect the legacy of Indigenous plant and soil stewardship, and are home to diverse, food-producing systems distinct from peripheral coniferous forests. Historical and ecological research demonstrates evidence of the higher biological and functional plant diversity of forest gardens, as well as distinct soil properties shaped by centuries of Indigenous management. To understand the legacy of Indigenous stewardship practices on soil microbial communities, we characterized and compared the soil microbiomes of culturally significant native plants in forest gardens to periphery conifer forests. Our results show greater microbial richness and diversity in garden soils, as well as overlapping microbial communities between certain native species. These results suggest that reclaiming people-forest-soil relationships are important to long-term forest health and resiliency, especially amidst a changing climate. They may also inform practical management practices to improve Indigenous food systems revitalization and ecological restoration outcomes today.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Revilla-Minaya
, Caissa - American Museum of Natural History
Understanding the emergence and practice of dietary and behavioral restrictions is essential for exploring the influence of environmental conceptions on people's engagements with their world. Some evolutionary studies suggest that these practices are adaptive responses, for instance, to potentially harmful food. Ethnographic explanations account for cultural understandings of food taboos, but some are equally functionalist in that they conceive of such restrictions as general rules that contribute to the cohesion of the social group, ignoring individual variation in notions of non-humans. This presentation takes a novel ontological approach to understanding local conceptions associated with the food and behavioral restrictions practiced in an Indigenous Matsigenka community in Amazonian Peru. Combining qualitative and quantitative methods, this study explores how certain non-human beings are differently conceived, and why they are considered taboos. Based on these results, I propose a new theory to explain the emergence of ontological configurations underlying food and behavioral restrictions.
14:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Sachs
, Nava - University of British Columbia
Grenz
, Jennifer - University of British Columbia
As the integration of Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge systems within restoration ecology gains momentum, there is a pressing need for culturally appropriate, land-based methodologies that move beyond descriptive metaphors such as “braiding” and “two-eyed seeing.” This presentation introduces an Indigenized methodology that leverages the strengths of both knowledge systems to advance food systems reconciliation at Hwkw’akw’la’hwum, the Cowichan Bay Estuary on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Key approaches include reconstructing pre-colonial baselines to guide restoration planning through plant inventories and elevation modeling of legacy-state portions of Hwkw’akw’la’hwum; identifying and sourcing seeds and plants to honor place-based plant genetics; and developing a five-acre native plant nursery to expand seed and plant availability. We highlight the creation of art-based, community-driven knowledge translation tools, which serve as culturally resonant planning resources to mobilize and communicate the healing and restoration of Hwkw’akw’la’hwum.
14:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Zandvliet
, Alyssa - Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Grenz
, Jennifer - University of British Columbia (UBC)
Armstrong
, Chelsey - Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Using historical-ecological approaches, this research presents pathways for better understanding settler colonial and Quw’utsun (Cowichan, Coast Salish) land-use histories over decadal and centennial scales. Focusing on the Cowichan Bay Estuary, a highly developed and industrialized inlet on eastern Vancouver Island, and in collaboration with Cowichan Tribes, this research will integrate primary source data (early surveys, colonial era letters, etc.), ecological surveys, and ethnographic interviews, to assess how land-use in the estuary has changed over time. Preliminary results indicate that at the onset of early colonial incursions, the estuary was a dynamic food system characterized by forest gardens of Garry oak savannah, native fruit tree orchards, and intertidal root gardens. Within decades, commercial logging and farming resulted in a net turn-over in species and increased sediment loading (upwards of 2 m of sediment deposited in ~70 years), drastically reducing plant diversity and Quw’utsun food system resilience.
15:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Rahayu
, Yen Yen Sally - BRIN
Sujarwo
, Wawan - BRIN
Worldwide, modern food systems prioritize a limited range of low-nutrient plant species, often neglecting the rich diversity of nutrient-dense plants traditionally consumed by indigenous and rural communities, including those in Indonesia. Encouragingly, global interest in promoting biodiversity to enhance food, nutrition, and health by utilizing underexploited resources is increasing. In this context, Unconventional Food Plants (UFPs) have emerged as promising solutions to address public health challenges and nutritional disparities. However, evidence supporting their broader adoption remains limited, and their relationship with people’s health has not been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to explore the correlation between UFP intake and individuals’ health through case studies conducted among local communities in rural areas across three regions of Indonesia. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed, incorporating various indicators. Mixed methods were employed, including an ethnobotanical survey, a food frequency questionnaire, and a standard subjective health assessment (SF-12).
When plants and animals fundamental to Indigenous communities are no longer readily available by virtue of habitat loss, climate change, and overharvesting, many traditions that have evolved with these species are also threatened. This session will highlight presentations focusing on the conservation and restoration of species used for food, medicine, basketry, and traditions.
In our rapidly changing World, we need standardised datasets to asses the endangerment of cultural keystones essential for populations' well-being. Worldwide, curated, homogeneous datasets facilitate the communication between agencies, institutions and decision-makers to plan and design actions to safeguard communities. Such datasets need accessible, low-uncertainty, systematic measurement strategies. Drawing inspiration from ICUN's Red List of Threatened Species, on top of our work on cultural keystones and modelling of the basic cultural loss mechanisms, we make an initial proposal for standardised measurement of key cultural items (be it species, practices or places) affecting communities wellbeing. We propose a basic methodology to measure four elements defining a cultural keystone usage: frequency, variability, category of knowledge needed, and number of experts. Longitudinal data on these, as well as information on last use and the training of new experts, form the basis of our proposed threatened index for Endangered Cultural Keystones.
14:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Flenley
, Daniel - SIL
Birds have deep significance in cultures across the world. What happens, though, when a bird migrates between landscapes where it holds very different cultural meanings? This talk presents a case study from the East Atlantic Flyway, with examples from work in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana and Nigeria. We will explore cultural and artistic representations of various long-distance migrants including cuckoos, swallows, turtle doves and nightjars. These will be compared with resident bird species, and with stylised and idealised birds. The idea of ‘ethnobiomigratory space,’ with its own depths and heights, will be presented to conceptualise the journeys of migrant species. The talk will end by considering the implications of this concept for bird conservation, especially in the context of global change. In the spirit of arts and culture, this talk will be delivered entirely as a performance poem.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Ignace
, Marianne - Simon Fraser University
The availability of Secwépemc cultural keystone species like sxúsem (Shepherdia canadensis) and other berries, as well as various historically and nutritionally important root plants, and cambium (e.g. Pinus contorta) has greatly diminished in past decades. This has been due to a combination of cumulative impacts that have affected key harvesting areas, including logging, mining, diminished access to harvesting areas, as well as pine beetle kill and subsequently wildfires. Recorded ethnobotanical knowledge about Indigenous fire stewardship has clearly shown the positive impacts of cultural burning practices on species and ecosystems, with burning practices depending on landscape, ecology and weather conditions in specific areas. We show here how by “walking on two legs” of Indigenous knowledge and western scientific documentation, we can revive and continue of age-old cultural burning practices and the detailed knowledge underlying it, to create better food security, wellbeing and ecological resilience on Secwepemcúlecw (Secwepemc land).
14:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Shebitz
, Daniela - Kean University
Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata) is an essential basketry material to many Indigenous communities of the Northeastern United States, but basketmakers have reported its decline in traditional gathering sites. This presentation will highlight some of the work that I’ve conducted over the past three decades in collaboration with the Haudenosaunee (New York State) and Lenni-Lenape (New Jersey) to understand changes in the population dynamics and restoration potential of sweetgrass. My work began in the early 2000s with a focus on documenting population trends throughout the Northeast and reestablishing sweetgrass to the Mohawk Community of Kanatsiohareke. Over the past decade, I’ve focused more on working with communities in New Jersey to weave this plant into Lenapehoking as part of recovery from heavy contamination, through incorporating it into microforests, and as part of a land-back program with the Native American Advancement Corporation. These ongoing projects will be briefly introduced.
14:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Spalding
, Pamela - Syracuse University
The concept of Cultural Keystone Species (CKS) was introduced into ethnobiology twenty years ago and has been adopted by academics, Indigenous cultural specialists, Indigenous governments and land rights legal professionals as a powerful metaphor and methodology for expressing culturally salient species that shape in a major way the cultural identity of a people. In my own research I find the CKS concept to be both useful and problematic. On the one hand, the method is a transparent way for Indigenous peoples to foreground significant and special relationships with certain plant, animal, and fungi species. On the other hand, I struggle with the quantification of cultural significance and, while clearly not the intent of the original researchers, I believe the method can be misappropriated to promote a positivistic and narrowing form of cultural significance. While celebrating the obvious strengths of this concept, I propose ways that practitioners should be mindful of the potential for its misapplication and misinterpretation.
14:00 to 15:15 (Thursday)
VIII. From Historical Ecology to Hysterical Ecology? Past Landscapes to Better Determine the Nature of Anthropogenic Landscapes
A number of scholars note that many landscapes deemed as "natural" often overlook the human impact on the environment, past and present. Many areas throughout the world are covered with vegetation that occurs in the wake of human activity, embracing both conscious and unconscious decisions that invariably introduce a unique species profile in certain landscapes. While some observers often tout conscientious management regimes, others note that some landscapes are merely the net effect of human disturbance. In this session we present papers that elaborate on these dynamics in an attempt to untangle the nature of anthropogenic landscapes, exploring indigenous knowledge, historical impacts on the environment, and the interplay between humans to assess the nature of these areas. In this manner, we aim to present papers that also discuss the value of anthropogenic areas.
Historically, indigenous groups such as the Wa She Shu (Washoe), Numu (Northern Paiute), and Newe (Shoshone) have been stewards to regions of the Great Basin they inhabited and have cultivated a strong connection to the land. One such culturally important species is the single leafed pinyon pine (Pinus monophyla) as it provided much needed sustenance during harsh winters. However, due to factors such as cultural assimilation, loss of land, declining resource availability, and anthropogenic climate change leading to lower masting events, several indigenous groups have been stunted or have completely lost their connection to this culturally important resource. This loss of stewardship has led to decline of biodiversity within the pinyon pine-juniper community. Such losses include herbivorous arthropods that utilize pinyon-juniper communities as a food resource. I plan to quantify the interactions between anthropogenic climate change factors, loss of indigenous stewardship, and herbivorous arthropod populations.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Forline
, Louis - Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Since the day and age of colonization in Brazil’s Amazon region, indigenous peoples and their habitats have undergone significant changes. Occupation by European settlers and later by Brazil’s moving frontier have impacted indigenous communities and their livelihoods, invariably altering landscapes and imposing new land use regimes. An expanding area of research in the area of historical ecology has unearthed past management regimes by indigenous peoples but can often dismiss the impacts of modernization and the current forces of globalization. In this paper I discuss some often ignored factors that come to play in understanding the footprint of anthropogenic landscapes in Amazonia, looking at the interplay between different actors engaging in this region. As such, I attempt to better fine tune conscious management activities and the net effect of different human settlement patterns in the Amazon region drawing on work among the Awá-Guajá and other indigenous communities.
14:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Hammett
, Julia - Truckee Meadows Community College
As current weather patterns become more extreme, climate watchers are confident our plight will only get worse. Some now speculate about our extinction. Half a century ago, anthropologist Elizabeth Colsen argued that while food scarcity has occurred many times in history, severe climate change could lead to dramatic increases in plagues, famines, civil unrest, revolts, reprisals, invasions, and “a loss of confidence in both the social and natural order." Through her ethnographic research and literature review, she identified “hard times” stories and coping strategies which were shared generationally. Based on my careful study of the current climate science, I hypothesize that some of our species will survive the coming collapse. I dig into our archaeological past for evidence of persistent adaptations that have withstood the test of time. I conclude with speculations about what our future might look like, based on a historical ecology of the past.
14:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Shay
, C. Thomas Tom - University of Manitoba
Imagine life in the northern grasslands centuries ago. Was it, as some say, an American Serengeti, teeming with bison and other wildlife? Or, was it a land of occasional searing droughts and deep snows that sometimes left the countryside strewn with dead animals? We explore these questions by perusing the late 18th Century climate together with wildlife responses to droughts and snow. We transcribed daily journals (activities plus weather: wind direction and strength, cloud cover, rain or snow and, rarely, how warm or cold it was. We compiled weather data for five posts totalling 234 months and daily temperatures from one posts. We used these data to help estimate conditions for local wildlife by how numbers of bison, elk, and deer fluctuate with drought and snow in today’s Yellowstone Park. Indigenous people as well as some fur traders, suffered from food scarcity and the deadly smallpox epidemic of 1780-81.
15:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Tonenna
, Dean
With the removal of Native American traditional stewardship of land and plant communities, once managed areas have reverted to unmanaged landscapes hiding and over time erasing evidence of traditional use areas and practices. Unmanaged landscapes are also more vulnerable to disturbances that can significantly alter plant communities in ways that are detrimental to human and wildlife habitat. As Tribes seek to resume traditional ethnobotanical uses of plants and stewardship of vegetation communities, a corresponding effort is needed to understand landscape vegetation dynamics as influenced by traditional stewardship and frequency of stewardship practices to promote vegetation that is healthy and optimal for ethnobotanical uses. A careful analysis of plant ecology, archaeological sites, and traditional needs is crucial to bringing back dormant traditional knowledge. This presentation will share some insights on this process from Mono Lake, CA.
Protestants in evangelical and mainline traditions embrace the notion of a Creator God who entrusted the stewardship of the natural world and its resources to humans. This belief nestled in the depths of Christianity, coupled with an ever-increasing concern for environmental degradation, has compelled the global Lausanne movement and the Presbyterian (USA) and Disciples of God denominations to develop robust creation care programs. Although the programs differ in specifics, principles of advocacy, social justice, sustainable practice, and education underpin them all. In my paper I describe a Christian theological foundation for environmental stewardship and outline two denominational programs. Then I present a case study of one Presbyterian church implementing the PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation program. I analyze the components that have made this program successful and hypothesize on the far-reaching positive implications of faith-based environmental programs. I end with potential points of collaboration between religious and secular stewardship initiatives.
15:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Fahey
, Fionna - Purdue University
Seeds are adapted and situated in everyday life and practice. People care for seeds through alternative models of preservation and forms of kinship for next generations that resist settler registrars of property. My paper first reviews the rich ethnobiological scholarship and activism around local and embodied knowledges, seed practices, and critiques of intellectual property. I then advance feminist science studies scholarship on situated knowledge(s) and pilot ethnographic data collected through participant observation of seed yield trials in the Pacific Northwest. As a part of my larger dissertation project, I interrogate plant breeding science’s tendency to suspend and naturalize seeds’ dynamic relations. I argue that feminist attunements to sciences, including ethnobiology, will help scholars trouble the inherent power dynamics in knowledge production and seed relations. In short, it matters how we think about seeds and toward what futures (Haraway 2013).
16:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Herron
, Scott - Ferris State University/Herron Environmental Services
Reviewing the history of post-contact period settlements of Indian communities/tribal settlements in the current State of Michigan and its earlier territories (1600-2020) led to very detailed early historical period details on food subsistence and Anishinaabek cultural knowledge of plants. During a novel project to understand the distribution of Michigan's current federally recognized communities, the writings and manuscripts of the Catholic Church, primarily from the Venerable Frederic Baraga, Bishop of Marquette, 1853-1868. His diary, and official letters written to and from Baraga revealed key details about maple sap harvest and sugar production, wild rice harvesting, farming, fishing, and other subsistence activities among the tribal communities Bishop Baraga was a missionary among, and later ministered to as a bishop. Other documents from the Notre Dame Archives especially the Frederic Baraga Papers (1809-1908) provided valuable missing first-person details of life among early Michigan's tribal communities.
16:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Pech-Cardenas
, Florencia - Insititute on the Environment & Midwest Climate and Adaptation Science Cent
Castellanos
, Bianet - University of Minnesota
Spears-Rico
, Gabriela - University of Minnesota
This study explores Maya women’s experiences with handicraft production within a Maya community near Chichén Itzá using gender and autonomy of subsistence as frameworks. Drawing on ethnographic data, this article examines the lives of artisan women to answer the following questions: 1) What are the opportunities and challenges that indigenous artisan women face in handicraft production? 2) What is the role that handicraft production plays in indigenous women’s autonomy? By answering these questions, this study attempts to contribute to the knowledge gap around indigenous women’s handicraft production in academic literature, and to bring to light gender inequalities within the heritage tourism industry among indigenous communities.
16:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Sharaibi
, Olubunmi - Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria
This research explored the pivotal roles that plants play in the cultural, spiritual, religious beliefs and practices of the people in Southwest, Nigeria. Ethno-botanical surveys were carried out to identify plants used in religious and cultural practices in six southwest Nigerian States. Information was obtained from 100 respondents through oral interview. Seventy plant species representing 33 families were identified during ethnobotanical surveys. Fabaceae had the highest plant species while Tiliaceae had the least. Garcinia cola, Cola nitida, Milicia excelsa and Dioscorea alata are frequently offered to appease deities or ancestors, acting as conduit for spiritual communion and guidance. These plants are used in rituals to promote physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Leaves and roots are interpreted as part of divination rituals, helping individuals navigate life's uncertainties. Plants are deeply embedded in the cultural identity and belief systems of the Yoruba people, contributing to the continuity and richness of their spiritual heritage.
, Terese - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
At Transplanting Traditions Community Farm in Chapel Hill, NC a group of Karen high schoolers are undertaking a project to record foodways that have previously only ever been oral and embodied. By interviewing community elders and documenting their recipes and stories the youth seek to breathe new life into a cuisine that has traveled from Myanmar with members of the global Karen diaspora. Through the cookbook project, the youth attend to the embodied labour of Karen farmers and cooks in re-creating home and more-than-human connections in diaspora. Since there is much regional variation in Karen dishes, I track how such variation is accounted for in the cookbook or moments when it is elided through the demands of fixity. The cookbook is poised to be a powerful example of the re-spatialization of food sovereignty amidst diasporic food landscapes. Here I explore the embodied labor and subjectivities produced by these processes.
15:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Glover
, Mia - SUNY ESF
In traditional Fijian communities, ecosystem services have allowed the iTaukei to remain resilient despite ongoing climate stressors. This relationship is often underexplored from local perspectives. Our research uses mental modeling to identify critical ecosystem services most valued in communities to learn about their ability to remain climate resilient in a changing environment. By co-creating mental models with local stakeholders, we document traditional and contemporary ecological knowledge, helping to facilitate a relationship between researchers and communities while centering on locals' most pressing climate concerns. We identify several shared ecosystem services, including fisheries supplementation, medicine, and the provisioning of culturally important forest products, that are most important to communities and can be used to gain a more in-depth understanding of resilient food systems under climate stress. This strategy allows us to better inform local ecosystem management, strategies for climate resilience, food sovereignty, and environmental sustainability.
16:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Kaminski
, Alexandra - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Hughes
, Peter - University of the South Pacific
Sevakarua
, Waisiki - University of the South Pacific
Dukuno
, Osea - University of the South Pacific
Kamanalagi
, Joana - University of the South Pacific
Glover
, Mia - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Drew
, Joshua - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Climate change impacts food sovereignty. Choices communities make to manifest that sovereignty fluctuate based on environmental conditions and resource access. To investigate how iTaukei communities balance risk of food production and access we conducted 71 surveys in three localities across Fiji. We questioned which foods were purchased from town, which foods were grown locally, and how different factors affected choices. Geography and extreme events influence food production while remoteness influences food access; this affects risk mitigation in communities. Our ordination analysis comparing food items clustered in town and village groups showed little overlap between community grown and purchased food, however, there was a higher degree of variation within the community grown foods. Purchased food and frequency of travel were consistent regardless of distance or cost of travel suggesting that items from towns were relatively inelastic to costs. We see iTaukei communities are splitting risks by maintaining two complementary food systems.
16:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Lotvonen
, Varpu - American Conservation Experience - National Park Service
In Alaska, traditional diets center on meat and fish; yet, plants were widely used to supplement nutrition. Today, traditional foods – including plants – enjoy renewed attention because of their physical, social, and cultural health benefits and waning importance in people’s food practices. This research, conducted within the National Park Service and in partnership with Dena’ina stakeholders, will explore past and present uses of culinary plants. The projected impact of this research stems from knowledge sharing. Both rural and urban Dena’ina have access to plants, and foraging may offer culturally salient, rewarding outdoor activities, and a nutritious addition to contemporary diets. This presentation reviews the existing literature, and highlights the potential of foraging practices to sustain cultural connections while addressing contemporary food insecurity and nutritional challenges.
16:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Wooding
, Stephen - University of California, Merced
Peña
, César - Amazon Scientific Research Support
Yuca (cassava, manioc) is a tuber crop central to diets throughout the Amazon basin. It is represented by myriad cultivars, which vary substantially in growth rate, morphology, nutritional content, and other traits. In this study, we examined diversity in yuca cultivated by a Bora community in the Peruvian Amazon, and compared it with diversity across the surrounding region. We found that measures of single traits in Boran yuca overlapped with those of the broader region. However, their mean values were significantly different, and their variance was significantly lower. In addition, cyanide production by tubers, a key determinant of yuca cultivation and use, was two-fold higher than across the broader region, and more variable. Thus, diversity in Boran yuca overlapped with that of the broader region, but was distinct overall. These findings suggest that the Bora select specific traits in yuca to address agricultural constraints, cultural traditions, or both.
16:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Nininger - Nenwero
, Aaron - Abudu - Mutual Aid For The People
My research is focused on Ghanaians agroecological traditions, their relationship to plants as food, medicine, fibre and building material. Last year I had the opportunity to visit my fathers family in the North of Ghana for the first time. On the way I stayed with Abena at Tongo Oasis and learned about indigenous seeds, traditional foods and culture. After this I visited and documented Fra Fra, Agroecological Organic Farmers. Learning about their successes, new and continued challenges, values and wisdom. In times of great division, I believe storytelling & cultural exchanges based in earth tending can bring healing and unity. I have helped to start a Mutual aid orginzation to support Agroecological farmers in my family's village Nabala and in Karimenga Village. I'm interested in documenting the resilince of indigenous wisdom and culture in the face of climate change and continued colonization. My next trip is planned for winter 2025.
15:45 to 17:00 (Thursday)
XII. Supporting Biodiversity and Plant Justice through Varying Indigenous Concepts of Covenants of Reciprocity
This session explores how various examples of Indigenous land stewardship throughout North America provides a powerful example through which to de-center human exceptionalism in resource management and environmental governance. Unlike western ecology, Indigenous concepts of biodiversity usually acknowledge relationality through kinship and obligations between humans, the sacred world, plants, animals, fungi, and abiotic factors. This concept of biodiversity opens space for the emerging field of plant justice and the acceptance of plants as legal ‘persons. It envisions justice for the land involving an agreement between land and people that is simultaneously ecological and cultural. It recognizes that ecological integrity arises from reciprocal exchanges (what systems ecologists might call negative feedback loops or the biogeochemical give and take among members of an ecosystem) that produce biodiversity and ecological stability. It emphasizes moving forward from a widely held understanding amongst many Indigenous peoples of kinship with an animate and spiritual more than human world that is eloquently articulated in distant time stories where humans are surrounded by and interact with intelligences other than that of humans. Following from participatory action methodology this approach suggests that we apprentice to both Indigenous knowledge holders and the plants themselves so that through empathy and learning we might better understand the gifts plants have to offer and what legal dignity looks like for humans, plants and ecosystems.
In what is now known as northern Alberta, Northern Bush Crees, who tend to the landscape with ancient and adaptive reciprocal traditions, are asked to quantify and justify their traditional land use through the consultation process with government and corporations who actively extract natural resources from Treaty No. 8 territory. One of many problems that arise from consultation is that many of the cultural keystone plants for Northern Bush Crees are not charismatic, or rare species for Settlers. So, when communities try to protect such plants, they are unsuccessful because the plants are commonly found throughout the Boreal Forest. Many of the same plants, which are used for food and medicine, are now being sprayed with glyphosate by logging companies during the reforestation process. This paper will bring attention to some of these cultural keystone plants that are abundant in Boreal Forests, and the processes that protect and threaten them.
16:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Maurice-Hammond
, Isabelle - UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
Estuarine root gardens are Indigenous plant stewardship landscapes on the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. As “living archaeological sites,” these places often still contain large quantities of traditionally managed plant foods (namely, Pacific silverweed (Argentina egedii) and springbank clover (Trifolium wormskioldii), with features of past caretaking still present even a century after the cessation of active caretaking practices. As such, they represent import nexus points of connection with descent communities, with high potential for eco-cultural restoration. Using a “Walking on Two Legs approach” (as originally articulated by the Stk’emlúpsemc te Secwépemc Nation), this paper suggests a methodology for identifying estuarine root gardens that may no longer be known by descent communities, thus re-inserting them within broader cultural landscapes and supporting Indigenous sovereignty.
16:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Spalding
, Pamela
In the current precarious environment of remnant forests and intense industrial development, changing world climate patterns, and uncertain political and economic institutions, how can we better examine plant justice and human responsibilities to the more than human world through western and Indigenous frameworks of law and justice? My research explores why Indigenous long-term relationships with plants receive little attention in Canadian law and governance. Even though the use and management of native plants is a foundation of Indigenous cultural and legal practice, these important relationships are generally overlooked in legislation, case law, environmental assessments, and modern treaty negotiations. Using examples from Canadian law and Native American tribal court law, I will explore the potential and challenges of defining legal dignity for plants from the perspective of covenants of reciprocity with the humans whom they stand in relation.
16:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Turner
, Nancy - University of Victoria
Humans cannot survive without plants. As well as providing the oxygen we breathe, plants have contributed to people’s cultural and linguistic diversity and richness. Plants can readily survive without humans; yet, many humans consider ourselves to be greatly superior to plants, fungi, and all other lifeforms. We have become separated from other species and have moved away from our ancestral teachings of humility and appreciation for our non-human relations. We need to reconsider our human-centricity and recognize our total dependence on the earth’s other lifeforms. We have neglected their needs at our peril. Here I provide some examples of our dependence on our non-human relations, through “Five F’s”: Foliage, Flowers, Fruit, Forests, and Fungi, with examples of recognition of this dependence from Indigenous Peoples’ cultural practices and lifeways in Northwestern North America.
16:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Teixidor-Toneu
, Irene
Fernández-Llamazares
, Àlvaro
Alvarez Abel
, Ricardo
Batdelger
, Gantuya
Bell
, Elicia
Caillon
, Sophie
Cantor
, Mauricio
Correia
, Joel
Díaz
, Sandra
Fisk
, Jonathan
Greene
, Alexander
Greening
, Spencer
Hoyte
, Simon
Kalle
, Raivo
Loayza
, Gabriela
Mattalia
, Giulia
Montufar
, Rommel
Ojeda
, Jaime
Phatthanaphraiwan
, Suwichan
Vaccaro
, Ismael
Ban
, Natalie
In the context of climate change, biodiversity decline, and social injustice, reciprocity emerges as a way of living and being in this world that holds transformative potential. Concepts of reciprocity vary and are enacted in specific cultural practices grounded in Indigenous and local knowledge systems. This editorial synthesises first-hand evidence of how practising reciprocity can result in positive reciprocal contributions between people and nature. It also offers a theoretical justification of why considering reciprocity can lead to more equitable, inclusive, and effective conservation and sustainability policy and practices, contributing to curving the colonial baggage of academic inquiry and development action. Nurturing relations between people, especially academics, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities, is a necessary first step to identifying pathways whereby living in harmony with nature can be achieved.
15:45 to 17:00 (Thursday)
XIII. Human-animal Relations Across Diverse Environments and Places
, Nina - Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia
Grenz
, Jennifer - Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia
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.
16:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Drew
, Joshua - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Shaffer
, L Jen - University of Maryland
Grimes
, Grace - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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.
16:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Löki
, Viktor - Centre for Ecological Research
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.
16:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Nagarkoti
, Jyoti - Wildlife Institute of India
Ponnu
, Dhanesh - Wildlife Institute of India
Chinnasamy
, Ramesh - Wildlife Institute of India
Prabakaran
, Nehru - Wildlife Institute of India
Gupta
, Sandeep Kumar - Wildlife institute of India
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.
16:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Solankar
, Saish - Independent
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.
Friday, May 23, 2025
08:45 to 11:30 (Friday)
XV. Chenopod Cuisines: Spatial and Temporal Explorations of Chenopodium Use Across the Western Hemisphere
Charred Chenopodium or goosefoot seeds are often among the most ubiquitous taxa at archaeological sites globally, though our knowledge of their use in past societies varies by region. Researchers have long recognized the Andes, Mexico, and Eastern North America as centers of domestication and cultivation, though much remains unknown about genera and species diversity and people-plant interactions. Building on this work, scholars across the western hemisphere have also come to recognize these seeds as more than environmental disturbances to actively explore the ways chenopods functioned within past socio-economies as potentially managed and meaningful plants. The Americas are geographically, culturally, and biologically diverse, and many questions still remain regarding chenopod use and consumption. We welcome case studies or synthetic papers that highlight and reframe the ways chenopods functioned in the past and present, adding to continental and global conversations surrounding this versatile genus.
, Angela - Far Western Anthropological Research Group, inc.
Stable isotope and morphological properties of Chenopodium seeds have implications for ancient water management practices by Owens Valley Paiute in eastern California. Isotopic δ13C values from charred acorn and pine nuts differ from Chenopodium spp. recovered from the same contexts in archaeological sites in different regions of Owens Valley, and reflect differential water availability. Morphological features of Chenopodium spp. associated with domestication in other regions, in combination with increased density of small seed remains, suggest that irrigation practices developed between 1350-650 cal BP in Northern Owens Valley, with Chenopodium spp. an important irrigated plant.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Belcher
, Megan - Washington University in St. Louis
Seed size is an important variable in characterizing paleoethnobotanical assemblages, and the effects of charring is well studied for some species but not for others. It is important to understand these effects since during carbonization, seeds may or may not maintain enough of their qualitative morphology to be diagnostic. The morphological changes associated with carbonization may present in a variety of ways: seeds may or may not pop, swell, or distort, leading to an increase or reduction in diameter or testa thickness. To assess domestication status, seeds must be well preserved enough to observe seed diameter, the shape of the seed margin, and/or the texture and thickness of the testa. This paper focuses on one formerly domesticated crop from eastern North America, goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri). I want to understand the quantifiable effects of carbonization on goosefoot seed morphology and to help correct measurements of ancient specimens for these effects.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Carney
, Molly - Oregon State University
Once considered incidental inclusions, archaeologists within the last 10 years have finally begun to consider the role of charred Chenopodium seeds in past Pacific Northwest subsistence practices. In this presentation I synthesize data published in both academic and cultural resource management projects to determine the approximate extent, abundance, and timing of Chenopodium use across the US Columbia Plateau. I take a closer look at the goosefoot assemblage at a Middle Archaic food processing site, tentatively identified as Chenopodiumberlanderii var. zschackei (pitseed goosefoot), and consider the depositional pathways and culinary choices that may have produced the curiously flattened seeds. By reflecting on the potential role of goosefoot within the broader precontact Plateau food system, I aim to shed light on its significance and integration into the dietary and cultural practices of the region's past populations.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Fritz
, Gayle - Washington University in St. Louis
Cultigen goosefoot or chenopod (Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. jonesianum) is well represented in pre-maize archaeobotanical assemblages across much of eastern North America, often in concentrations accentuating its economic importance. Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) eventually overshadowed all small-seeded members of the Eastern Agricultural Complex (EAC), but the dramatic rise of corn after CE 900 did not quickly impact chenopod production negatively, at least not in the central Mississippi Valley. Understanding the decline of EAC crops is complicated by lack of appreciation for their long-term persistence. I focus on the cultivation of chenopod throughout the Mississippian period and into colonial and modern times, and discuss implications for resilience of Indigenous foodways and potential contributions to local and global food security.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Harris
, Megan - University of British Columbia
Chenopodium is a genus of perennial and annual herbaceous plants recovered from paleoethnobotanical assemblages in the Fraser and Columbia Plateaus of North America. While prevalent in the paleobotanical record, they are often discounted as incidental environmental inclusions. A growing literature is having trouble reconciling the presence of Chenopodium species. This genus appears in great abundance across both Plateaus. It likely has some role in the lifeways of those Plateau peoples.
This paper presents the initial results of the paleoethnobotanical analysis at the Chuchuwayha Rock Shelter in southern British Columbia within the traditional unceded territory of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band (USIB). It explores the relationship between the archaeological remains of Chenopodium from Chuchuwayha and present-day Chenopodium species within the USIB territory. Given their prevalence at a culturally significant site to the USIB, it is likely the Chenopodium species here represents something beyond an incidental environmental inclusion.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Horton
, Elizabeth - Rattlesnake Master LLC
Fritz
, Gayle J. - Washington University in St. Louis
Mueller
, Natalie G. - Washington University in St. Louis
An exquisite, twined drawstring bag filled with goosefoot and Asteraceae seeds was excavated from the Edens Bluff site in the Arkansas Ozarks by a crew from the University of Arkansas in 1932. A direct AMS radiocarbon assay in the early 1980s dated the bag and its contents to the Middle Woodland period (approximately 2000 years BP), and close examination of the goosefoot seeds revealed them to be thin-coated Chenopodium berlandieri ssp. jonesianum. Until recently, the Asteraceae seeds remained unidentified, but we now recognize them as a member of the genus Rudbeckia. The mixture of these two seed types, carefully cleaned and stored for future cultivation or consumption, has implications for understanding plant domestication, cropping strategies, and Indigenous food systems in eastern North America.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Mueller
, Natalie - Washington University in St. Louis
Horton
, Elizabeth - Rattlesnake Master LLC
Kistler
, Logan - Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
In eastern North America, ancient Indigenous people domesticated several native annual plants, including the quinoa relative Chenopodium berlandieri. In this presentation, we describe genomic research to resolve remaining uncertainties about the evolution, taxonomy, and biogeography of this crop. We present the first ancient nuclear DNA evidence from an extinct domesticated plant, a pale-seeded variety of Chenopodium berlandieri recovered from rockshelters in Arkansas and Kentucky, USA, which confirms the local origin of this crop. We built DNA from four ancient seeds into a phylogeny reconstruction of Chenopodium species thought to be native to eastern North America, using tissue samples from herbarium specimens. This study allows us to formulate new hypotheses about the dynamics of Chenopodium evolution under human management and inform crop wild relative conservation.
11:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Reamer
, Justin - Bowdoin College
In northeastern North America, chenopodium (Chenopodium sp.) appears in the paleoethnobotanical record with the first arrival of the Indigenous Algonquian and Iroquoian people. Despite the plant’s long history of and nearly ubiquitous use by Indigenous people, only two sites, one in Ontario and one in Pennsylvania, have clear evidence for domesticated chenopodium populations. In this paper, I will explore how Indigenous people used and managed chenopodium through time. Based on recent experimental work by Belcher and colleagues (2023), I explore the possibility that Indigenous people cultivated and possibly domesticated chenopodium in Northeastern North America. I draw data from my own paleoethnobotanical analyses and those conducted by Nancy Asch Sidell for contract archaeology projects to better understand how Indigenous people in the region used and managed chenopodium populations.
11:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Wohlgemuth
, Eric - Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc.
Second only to renowned acorn as the most common food remains in California archaeobotanical assemblages, Chenopodium was clearly important in California Native subsistence. But its importance varied greatly over different parts of California. Chenopodium seems to have been most important in the lower reaches of the Sacramento and Santa Clara Valleys, where it comprised more than 50% of the abundant small seeds found, and may have rivaled acorn as a staple food. An initial pilot study found no clear evidence of human selection. Native Chenopodium might have potential as a modern food crop as an alternative to water-intensive rice agriculture in some areas of the Sacramento Valley.
Peperomia pellucida (L.) Kunth is a medicinal plant with ethnobotanical significance, yet the endophytic microorganisms associated with it and their antagonistic activities remain unexplored. This study isolated five fungal and two bacterial endophytes from the leaf tissues of P. pellucida and evaluated their antagonistic activity against Aspergillus aculeatus (OQ550967) and Penicillium oxalicum (OQ550966) using dual culture assays. Two fungal isolates, identified as Aspergillus niger (LSUPP-PF4-2) and Aspergillus flavus (LSUPP-PF5-1) based on ITS region sequencing, exhibited significant inhibitory activity against the phytopathogens. Both isolates demonstrated plant growth-promoting traits, including ammonia and hydrogen cyanide production and phosphate solubilization. GC-MS analysis of A. niger revealed bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties. This study reports, for the first time in Nigeria, the antagonistic potential of endophytic fungi from P. pellucida, highlighting their role in plant health and the need to further explore this plant's medicinal and culinary applications.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Chen
, Caleb - Cannabis Studies Lab at Cal Poly Humboldt
This research in progress examines changes in cannabis genetics with a focus on cannabis genetic bottlenecking. Significant knowledge gaps exist in the study of how and why cannabis genetics have changed over time. To fill these gaps, a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with self-identified cannabis breeders around the world. Previous qualitative cannabis research has centered around users, growers, and dealers with few studies looking exclusively at cannabis breeders. Anticipated results include insights into changing cannabis breeding strategies and techniques as well as a historical shift to target high THC percentage, high yield in indoor cultivation settings, and low flowering times due to the economic pressures generated by various stages of The Prohibition. These results may be meaningful in highlighting the role of legalization on declining genetic diversity in the worldwide cannabis market - and its impacts on the medicinal potential and therapeutic index of legal cannabis products.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Gamit
, Sandip - Department of Life Sciences, Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University
Sojitra
, Rasik - Department of Life Sciences, Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University
Gamit
, Snehal - Department of Life Sciences, Bhakta Kavi Narsinh Mehta University
This review article includes using ethnomedicinal plants to cure different skin diseases documented in Gujarat state. A total of 56 papers were reviewed and listed about 193 plants that are used for Skin problems. Eighteen skin diseases classified under five categories based on their origin are Bacterial, Fungal, Viral, Parasitic, and Autoimmune. These plants are used to cure various skin diseases like Abscess, Boils, Mastitis, Leprosy, Ringworm, Tinea versicolor (Krodiya), Itching, Chicken pox, Measles, Warts, Rabies, Scabies, Psoriasis, Eczema, Leucoderma and specifically cosmetic practices. Among listed plants A. indica, C. fistula, A. vera, M. peguensis, S. tora, J. sambac, S. urens, and B. ceiba are mostly used to cure skin disease and in cosmetics. The significance of pharmacology is that proves it is used to cure that particular skin disease. It is important to understand that traditional practices are cost-efficient as well as beneficial to society in developing countries.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Iddrisu
, Rashid - World Institute of Africa Culture and Traditions
Animist traditional healing among Gonja people of rural northern Ghana views sickness as a kind of being living in the ill person. The presentation contrasts the use of antibiotics to treat infection by Western biomedical practices with how indigenous Gonja healers use plant antibiotics to prevent illness, and explains the action of plant medicines used by healers to treat illness living in a suffering individual.
10:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Brogden
, Mette - University of Arizona
The Gonjas' native language in rural northern Ghana, encodes traditional eco- and medicinal-knowledge through relational syllabic markers. We documented phonetic drift among native speakers of Gonja in 2021, becoming more noticeable as one moves west across Savannah Region, the traditional home of Gonja people. Since phonetic drift invariably leads to semantic drift, medicinal knowledge of traditional healers is becoming compromised. This presentation covers how Gonjas are counteracting phonetic drift through language documentation methods with elders who still recall how their grandparents pronouced the names of flora and fauna species, thereby helping to preserve indigenous healing efficacy in the region.
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Watson
, Tyler - Northern Michigan University
Ethnobotanical knowledge provides a foundational framework for identifying plants with pharmacological potential, serving as an entry point for natural products discovery. By integrating traditional plant use with advanced scientific methods, researchers have developed systematic approaches to isolate and characterize bioactive compounds. These methods include targeted extraction techniques, bioassay-guided fractionation, and metabolomic profiling, which together uncover the chemical complexity of natural products and their therapeutic potential. The study of plants like Datura, whose traditional uses point to the presence of bioactive compounds, has led to the discovery of novel tropane alkaloids and facilitated screening efforts to evaluate their biological activities. By bridging traditional knowledge and modern techniques, the process of natural products discovery transforms culturally significant plants into a pipeline for developing new drugs, underscoring the role of ethnobotany in advancing global health.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Huish
, Ammon - Brigham Young University
Johnson
, Owen - University of Virginia
Khan
, Zuhayr - University of Virginia
Huish
, Ryan - The University of Virginia's College at Wise
Traditional medicine plays a vital role in global public health but is often overlooked as an efficient and legitimate resource in treatment protocols. Understanding various approaches to the integration of traditional medicine and “Western” health clinics in the rural Global South can help us consider potentials to expand this hidden synergy in safe, inexpensive, and ethical ways. In an effort to understand this integration more fully, a literature review and analysis of WHO reports, country health policy data, and case studies were performed to qualitatively and quantitatively document the past and current integration of health policies within individual countries. Through these analyses, past integration methods can be categorized into three general trends: cultural studies, scientific medical analyses, and broad national policy initiatives. Through promoting these methods of integration, the two systems of traditional and western medicine can harmonize together in mutually beneficial ways towards better health for all.
11:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
McGuire
, Gina - USDA Forest Service
The Climate & Lāʻau Lapaʻau project seeks to understand the impact of climate change on Hawaiian medicine and care practices. In Hawaiʻi, sea level rise and other climate and anthropogenic factors threaten native species and ecosystems. Species at risk include plants, animals, and minerals that are integral to the practice of lāʻau lapaʻau, Hawaiian medicine. To understand how environmental change is impacting the availability, distribution, and need for species identified by lāʻau lapaʻau practitioners as important to the persistence of their practice, documentation, and communication of current conditions are needed. This project documents species, ecosystems, growing and gathering practices important to healing communities through interviews and co-productive research modalities, reciprocal practices of stewardship and cultivation by healing communities, common ailments being treated today, other concerns, challenges, and resiliencies discussed by practitioners, and communicates research approaches and findings to Hawaiian and other Indigenous communities with best practices in Indigenous data sovereignty.
11:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Sullivan
, Matthew - University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Huish
, Ryan - University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Scherer
, Allison - University of Virginia’s College at Wise
Actaea (Rannunculaceae) is an important genus containing black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), an Appalachian medicinal plant. Two poorly understood areas within this genus are proper vegetative identification (thus preventing unintentional adulteration with co-occurring toxic species in the genus), and knowledge about embryo development and germination to aid in the conservation and propagation of these increasingly rare plants. Our investigation into Actaea has led to a better understanding of morphological characteristics, resulting in the development of improved vegetative dichotomous keys, and a new method that determines embryo viability and refines germination techniques. The improved methods increase understanding of metabolic trends during seed dormancy and will serve to refine germination techniques using quantitative data from fluorescing reactions. These minimally invasive methods are more useful compared to other existing embryo viability determinations, and will allow for increased efficiency and accuracy in agriculture and conservation including applications for other important ethnobotanical plants.
08:45 to 10:00 (Friday)
XVIII. Bats, Biodiversity and Ecological knowledge
As part of a European Research Council project, a team of anthropologists is working on interspecific relations between humans and chiropterans in the Indo-Pacific. Following the special issue entitled “Ethnology of bats published in the Journal of Ethnobiology (2021), the team intends to open a discussion based on empirical field studies. From the depths of caves to treetops, from church steeples to barns, these synanthropic but often discrete beings populate many ecological environments. Around the world, chiropterans inspire imaginaries, practices (of hunting, cooking, medicine, rituals, tourism, arts, etc.) and narratives (cosmogonic, nursery rhymes, mediatic and political discourses, etc.) that reflect the specificities of their morphology and behavior. These ambiguous beings are at the heart of current ethno-biological concerns: preservation of environments and valorization of local/indigenous knowledge. Dracula, Batman and Halloween monsters are not the only symbols triggered by bats. The session welcomes contributions on interactions with chiropterans around the world, but also invites to the study of interspecific cohabitation and its theoretical and epistemological debates.
Based on ethnographic research in northern Sulawesi, this paper examines the inter-species dynamics between a Minahasan ancestral memory revivalist group and small fruit bats in the identification of ancestral burial sites within deep forest caves. Guided by hunters, revivalist researchers locate cavities by tracking bats that cohabit with ancestors' Tombs—banned by the Colonial Dutch government after a cholera outbreak in the 1820s. In this paper, I question the ways bats, humans and their dead have been coexisting in these spaces, highlighting how caves and underground areas serve as both ecological habitats and hidden spaces of cultural memory across different periods. By exploring these relationships, I emphasize the value of local knowledge and the socio-ecological system where bats are a key partner in this restoration and conservation project.
09:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Coetsier
, Margot - UCLouvain ; European Research Council
As umbrella species and pollinators, bats are essential in preserving ecosystems and biodiversity. Despite their importance, five of the six species recorded in Fiji are considered endangered or vulnerable. Causes are manyfold. Invasive cats, mongoose and plants are one of the targeted problems. Furthermore, human’s interventions such as the hunting and consumption of bats, timber industries, guano mining or tourist incursions are other established reasons. This paper captures the challenges at play concerning relationships between bats and (non)-humans in Fiji. By conducting a multi-site ethnography, this research questions how interspecies relationships are intertwined with contemporary and global issues. It focuses on empirical work conducted among iTaukei populations in Lau, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu islands and examines how the knowledge and involvement of local and indigenous communities are paramount to understand how diversities of cosmologies, transmission of practices and interspecies challenges play a key role against the current ecological crises.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
De Meyer
, David - Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium)
Coming from the depths of the sea to reach the heights of the trees where the flying foxes lives, cyclones are part of the landscape in Vanuatu. Cyclones cause serious casualties amongst the flying foxes communities and their environments. While waiting for food supplies coming by boat, the fragilized flying foxes of the islands become easy food for the locals whose gardens have been destroyed. Flying fox’s meat is considered locally the best meat available. As a result, the equation in which the Ni-Vanuatu are involved is a complex mix of their own survival, those of the flying foxes and the government scheduled periods of hunting. The Ni-Vanuatu know well the importance of the flying foxes and they are credited for planting fruit trees that the locals are not planting themselves. This article aims to show the complexity of this situation and how the Ni-Vanuatu people understand and practice ecology.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Vanhaelen
, Justine - UCLouvain
Taiwan is home to over thirty species of bats. During my fieldwork across different parts of the island—ranging from a tourist bat cave to NGO-led conservation sites—I observed the intricate relationships between bats, humans, and insects. Through participant observation, this presentation delves into how human interactions and management practices shape these dynamics. It highlights the impacts of pesticide use on bat populations and their role as natural pest controllers. Field observations also reveal a growing governmental interest in using bat boxes in agricultural areas as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical pesticides. In Chinese and Taiwanese culture, the bat, known as "bienfu" (福), symbolizes luck and prosperity. Often depicted in temple decorations and seamlessly integrated into urban architecture, bats hold both ecological and cultural significance. This presentation aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of bats as cultural icons and key players in Taiwan’s biodiversity.
09:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Vinogradova
, Daria - Catholic University of Louvain
Madagascar has been experiencing deforestation since the early colonial period, leading to severe impact on its unique and endemic biodiversity. Many species, most particularly bats, lemurs, and some birds, are facing the threat of extinction and are classified as vulnerable. In response, various governmental and non-governmental organizations have been established across the country to mitigate the human-animal interactions that are considered harmful for the ecosystem and promote sustainable environmental practices. Frequently, this involves restricting local populations' access to areas of animal cohabitation, excluding them from forests on which they may rely for their livelihoods and to which they may attach significant cultural and spiritual meanings. This article seeks to examine indigenous environmental knowledge concerning harmonious coexistence, species interdependence, and conservation practices. It further aims to highlight how such knowledge is considered in both international and national policies directed at preserving Madagascar's fragile ecosystems.
The importance of local and Indigenous Knowledge are recognized more widely and frequently in fields like ecology, anthropology, and archaeology than they have been in decades past. Despite this, there are a number of often-overlooked, systemically discriminatory practices that continue to prevent Indigenous and local knowledge (and knowledge holders) from fully being included, recognized, and honored in the discussions and decisions that shape these canons of knowledge. This paper looks at some of the new laws and policy changes in Washington state that were developed to work to reduce some of these barriers. This paper will review these laws and policies, share recent examples of work putting these new laws and policies into action, as well as share critiques of the continued challenges that remain.
09:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Bobsin
, Courtney - University of Washington
Forest management has changed significantly over the last several decades as researchers and forest managers and practitioners deal with changing social, economic, and climatic needs. To address this, we propose using a new ecosystem wellbeing approach that centers both community and environmental wellbeing, understanding that both need to be addressed simultaneously and with equal seriousness. Achieving this starts with a formal process to engage people which is done through a learning-based collaboration approach where stakeholders, tribes, forest managers, and researchers engage with one another to address management questions and options through the scientific process. Input derived from the diverse array of participants is fed into ethnoforestry prescriptions, a people-focused forest management, that has a key goal of achieving ecosystem wellbeing. We present how this work is being applied on two large, operational-scale forest management experiments on state and federal lands on the Olympic Peninsula, WA.
09:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Breesman
, Amy June - Local Contexts
In this introductory session, attendees will learn about the global work of Local Contexts, an Indigenous-led nonprofit. Responsive to years of iteration and learning with researchers and local communities, Local Contexts delivers much-needed digital tools which affirm Indigenous Peoples' access, attribution, and provenance over their own data in the natural and social sciences fields. The Biocultural and Traditional Knowledge Labels are assigned by Indigenous communities to reflect protocols, while Notices are used by researchers and institutions to disclose Indigenous data and interests. Ethnographers and those in related fields will learn how to use Local Contexts as a path finding tool for valuable collaboration in research and its utility to apply permanent identifiers in metadata to uphold the FAIR and CARE principles in support of Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
09:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Flachs
, Andrew - Purdue University
Ethnobiology is a field that describes long-term, reciprocal relationships between humans and other living beings. The knowledge and ways of being with others that underlies these relationships is always contextual, a function of ecology, political economy, and culture. As a theoretical framework, social reproduction theory scholarship tends to ask how class is continually formed and labor differentiated. In ecological spaces, this social work also continually creates a physical environment: the stages on which ecological skill is performed. While capitalist or colonial models of production often fail to describe value in ethnobiological terms, social reproduction provides a useful vocabulary for exploring the work, value, and learning of ethnobiology. This presentation explores ecological knowledge, traditional or not, through the lens of social reproduction theory to explore the work of learning and living in a dynamic landscape
10:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (virtual)
Author(s):
Jemphrey
, Michael - SIL Global
The Giriama people live along the coast of Kenya in an area of rich forest and ocean biodiversity.
This paper will describe how in 2024 members of the Giriama community, in partnership with SIL Global and A Rocha Kenya, held a two-week rapid word collection workshop during which small groups crowdsourced Giriama names of local fauna and flora. They also recorded indigenous ecological knowledge and traditional stories about the environment in the Giriama language.
The paper will then present plans on how the data collected will be used. Books will be produced in Giriama to share knowledge across the community and help inspire and educate the younger generation to care for their forest home. Data will be shared on the Global Biodiversity International Facility with the global scientific community to allow them to interact with the Giriama population to promote healthy ecosystems.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Reid
, Hannah
Around the world, the growing distance between people and plants has coincided with a global increase in 'plant awareness disparity' or 'plant blindness' - the inability to notice, understand and appreciate the plants in one's own environment. Plants make up the majority of life on Earth and foundational to life-giving and sustaining processes upon which humanity depends. It is not possible to facilitate sustainable development or build resiliency to climate change without increasing awareness, understanding and appreciation of plants. Ongoing research in the Cayman Islands is exploring the relationship between traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) and plant (non)awareness, the interlinkages between plant awareness, nature-connectedness and sustainable behaviours, and the potential role of TEK in efforts to increase plant awareness.
11:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Spadola
, Loup - CNRS
Granjon
, Ludovic - CNRS
Odonne
, Guillaume - CNRS
Databases have been proposed as tools to protect local knowledge of biodiversity and to foster its repatriation to the original knowledge holders, however, the technical challenges are many. We designed the BDEthno as a way for storing ethnobotanical data available from literature, covering all plant uses and vernacular names in French Guiana.
The use report is the central entity of the database, linking, for a given bibliographic reference, a Linnaean species, its use(s) and its local name(s) in a considered cultural group, completed, if available, by the plant part(s) used and herbarium vouchers.
The project uses open source software PostgreSQL and LibreOffice Base to manage data, and the data model has been debated with experts to fit to ethnobotanical requirements. It is thought to be replicable and reusable by those wishing to protect local knowledge, and It might be the first step towards a larger-scale database network project.
11:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Walshaw
, Sarah - Simon Fraser University
Ethnobiology offers rich opportunities to study teaching and learning, and contribute to the broader experience in knowledge exchange. In 2019, Simon Fraser University's Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning (ISTLD) pioneered a project studying the conditions for well-being in learning environments, targetting social connectivity, civic engagement, optimal challenge, and personal development, among other measures. Here I present the findings from one such study, conducted across several cohorts of classes in food history and African history. While anectodal evidence suggested that instructor food sharing led to students feeling strongly that the instructor cared about them, the target in the study cohorts was student food sharing. Did student sharing lead to increased social connection? And, beyond eating, can learning from other students through restaurant reviews, experimental cooking, and reporting "Food in the News" impact student well-being? I end by reflecting on unique contributions that ethnobiologists can make to the field of teaching and learning.
10:30 to 12:00 (Friday)
XIX. Collaborative and Community-Based Stewardship of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands in the Great Basin
Pinyon-juniper woodlands cover vast areas of the southwestern United States and provide important ecosystem services to landscapes and communities, including Indigenous traditional foods, silvopasture for livestock grazing, recreation opportunities and fuelwood. Yet these woodlands are undergoing transformation due to climate change. Increasingly intense droughts are causing widespread tree mortality and large-scale wildfires are transforming woodland ecosystems with the expansion of invasive annual grasses. These changes are impacting the ability of forests to regenerate after disturbance with major consequences for people who depend on them. Pinyon-juniper ecosystems are also central to the worldviews, social identities, and cultural practices of many Indigenous peoples, including Nüümü (Northern Paiute) and Wašišiw (Washoe) peoples in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada region. Pinyon pine seeds are a critical Indigenous traditional food and environmental changes are already having an impact on their availability to communities. This panel shares the work of Tribal Nations, researchers, and land managers in the western Great Basin to improve the climate resilience of woodlands through community-based stewardship and collaboration. Participants in the Masonic Mountain Shared Stewardship Project and Pinyon Community Climate Action Project will share their contributions to improving woodland health and the important cultural values these ecosystems provide to Indigenous peoples and local communities in the region.
The Masonic Mountain Pinyon Juniper Shared Stewardship Project is a collaborative planning initiative aimed at developing a comprehensive management framework for the stewardship of woodlands in the Bodie Hills region of the western Great Basin. This presentation provides an overview of the project’s approach to collaboration and alliance-building with Indigenous partners from the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, as well as the Bridgeport Indian Colony. It delves into the history of this collaborative endeavor and outlines some of the formalized processes that underpin our approach to collaborative conservation. These processes encompass consent-based decision-making and Indigenous data sovereignty protections, which inform our commitment to advancing healthy forest ecosystems, preserving cultural values, and upholding Indigenous sovereignty.
10:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Cowie
, Sarah - University of Nevada, Reno
Caring for pinyon-juniper woodlands also means caring for past, present, and future peoples. Here, I consider collaborative ecological research as a compassionate heritage activity, because it nurtures relationships and values knowledge that people have actively remembered for millennia. Ecological heritage includes intangible cultural heritage such as TEK and Indigenous Peoples’ wisdom, as recognized by UNESCO. It also brings together both tangible and intangible elements of heritage ecologies to promote well-being for the ecosystem’s entire human- and non-human community, from past to future. As a non-Native archaeologist, I address heritage considerations as they emerge through collaborative activities. I also integrate work from Indigenous scholars who developed a framework variably described as “archaeologies of the heart” and “landscapes of care,” which braids together threads from diverse fields such as women’s studies, resource management, nursing, Indigenous studies, and social psychology. This approach rejects the western mind/body dualism and recognizes the validity of emotion, listening, and heartfelt care in scientific research.
11:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Lysgaard
, Cole - United States Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Weisberg
, Peter - University of Nevada, Reno
Dilts
, Tom - University of Nevada, Reno
Redmond
, Miranda - University of California, Berkeley
Urza
, Alexandra - United States Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
There is a need for management strategies that address the various threats to pinyon-juniper woodlands. To be effective, management strategies must consider the variable nature of woodlands, which differ greatly in stand structure, understory, past disturbance, and land use history. This variability requires treatments tailored to individual woodlands, yet is poorly documented in western science. This study seeks to understand and communicate woodland variability by describing distinct woodland types at a study site in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to group 181 sampling plots into seven woodland types based on their stand structure. In addition to stand structure characteristics, we described the tree species composition, environment, health, and understory of these woodland types. We then used spatial models to predict their occurrences across the study area. With these woodland types identified and mapped, management actions can selectively target the values and threats unique to each type.
11:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Reid
, Hayley - University of Nevada, Reno
Single-leaf pinyon pine is a cornerstone species of cultural and ecological significance in the Great Basin, yet increasing wildfire frequency threatens its resilience. This research explores novel approaches to post-fire restoration of single-leaf pinyon pine through collaborative experiments between the Washoe Tribe and ecological researchers. Field trials on Washoe Tribal land assessed microsite influences and abiotic conditions, while a complementary experiment evaluated the effects of shade and soil amendments on seedling survival. Overall, we observed about 35% seedling survival in the first year after planting, and the results highlight the critical importance of shade and microsite selection in enhancing seedling survival rates. This study highlights the value of community-based restoration and multi-agency partnerships, offering practical insights for land managers and a hopeful path forward in addressing mounting ecological challenges while preserving cultural heritage.
11:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Syskine
, Yarrow - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of Cal
Macias
, Diana - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of Cal
Frederick
, Rosemary - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of Cal
Magruder
, Anna - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of Cal
Redmond
, Miranda - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of Cal
In an era of climate change and rapid forest die-offs, it is crucial to understand the drivers of forest regeneration to forecast future changes and identify potential management solutions. In this study, we assessed how stand density impacts cone production in single-leaf pinyon pine (P. monophylla). In summer 2024, we sampled 36 pinyon pine populations across their range from the Eastern Sierra to Utah (1287 to 2653 meters, 34.0307º to 41.0418º lat.), recording neighborhood density, stand density, and current year production, and using the cone-scar method to obtain estimates of historic cone production. Our efforts recovered approximately 15 years of cone production data for 309 trees. Preliminary results suggest that in single-needle pinyon pines, higher neighborhood density is correlated with increased cone production. Consequently, higher density pinyon pine stands may indicate that micro-environmental or micro-topographic conditions are particularly favorable to tree growth, where density is not a limiting factor for cone production.
11:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Urza
, Alexandra - Rocky Mountain Research Station
I will give an overview of this collaborative landscape planning project, which is taking place in the Bridgeport District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. This partnership between Tribes, researchers, and land managers aims to promote diverse and healthy landscapes, develop and evaluate new prescriptions to increase woodland resilience, and build a woodland monitoring toolkit.
12:15 to 13:15 (Friday)
XX. Exploration, Organization, and Storytelling: Students at SoE
At the annual SoE conference 2023 at Atlanta, a Student Working Group was founded by students attending the conference. Almost two years later, the Working Group is now formalized as the Student Board of the SoE. What does the Student board do? What are the goals, aspirations, and motivations for the board? How can students join, and how can everyone stay engaged? Find out!
12:15 to 13:15 (Friday)
XXI. Launched! A Celebration of Recent Books in Ethnobiology and Beyond
Books are the culmination of years of research and writing and their authors deserve to be celebrated and learned from! We invite recent authors from across the ethnobiology spectrum to join us to share a little about the goals of your work and the process of crafting a book project. Monographs, edited volumes, original research, collections, cookbooks, and related creative works are welcome!
In this session attendees will have the opportunity to learn about recently published volumes and hear from authors directly about the processes involved and how the end product was achieved. This is a great way to learn about the latest works, find that new reading for an upcoming class, or find mentorship for your own book-in-the-making!
This book project began with a dissertation project that incorporated both ethnobotanical and archaeolobotanical datasets on Indigenous farming in the Lake Titicaca basin of Bolivia. The work of transforming dissertation chapters that separated ethnographic and archaeological data of farming into more coherent units of agricultural taskscapes over varied temporal scales was challenging but fun. I am happy to share the process of writing, rewriting, and thinking outside of the box of typical archaeological narrative styles, as well as any other questions future book-writers hope to discuss.
12:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Fritz
, Gayle - Washington University in St. Louis
Feeding Cahokia (University of Alabama Press, 2019) was inspired years ago by Gary Paul Nabhan. Gary told me he searched through every book in the gift shop at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and found nothing pertaining to the Eastern Agricultural Complex that was accessible to the general public. It hit me that I could write that book, and finally I did. Ancient Cahokia and the surrounding Mississippi River valley region serve as ideal settings for demonstrating that Indigenous farming in eastern North America was diverse and sophisticated and that women were the primary farmers. Publishing a book is usually slower than placing articles in academic journals, but a book can reach unexpected readers and bring rewards beyond institutional advancement.
12:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Kindscher
, Kelly - University of Kansas
This book describes the traditional use of wild plants among the Arikara (Sahnish) for food, medicine, craft, and other uses. The Arikara grew corn, hunted and foraged, and traded with other tribes in the northern Great Plains. Their villages were located along the Missouri River in northern South Dakota and North Dakota. Today, many of them live at Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota, as part of the MHA (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara) Nation. We document the use of 106 species from 31 plant families, based primarily on the work of Melvin Gilmore, who recorded Arikara ethnobotany from 1916 to 1935. The work serves as an important regional ethnobotany of the Arikara Tribe, one of the most influential on the Northern Plains, and should be of great interest to ethnobotanists, ethnomedical practitioners, historians, and other Indigenous Peoples. More importantly, this book is for the Arikara people of all ages as documentation of, and reconnection to, their cultural heritage.
Ethnobotany uses data obtained from plants and from people. While ethnobotanical methods manuals (Albuquerque et al. 2019; Alexiades 1996; Martin 1995) guide researchers in preparation of plant data for future preservation and scientific accountability, they do not offer similar instruction for primary data obtained from people – even though such data may include audio- and video- recordings of little studied, endangered languages. We know that translations are not enough; ethnobiological knowledge is linked to the language that encodes it (Chiblow and Meighan 2021; McClatchey and Winter 2005; Stringer 2024). Recordings are valuable to members of the community and other researchers. This presentation explains basic methods for increasing the reproducibility of ethnobotanical field data (Berez-Kroeker et al. 2018). With examples from my own and others’ collections in endangered language archives, I demonstrate how data collected in local languages is processed and preserved, while noting current limitations to archival design for interdisciplinary projects.
13:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Growingthunder
, Raymond - University of Kansas
Kindscher
, Kelly - University of Kansas
We are beginning a project working with tribal nation language programs to add tribal nation names and ethnobotany to the USDA Plants Database. Our project is now recruiting tribal language programs to work with us in adding linguistic diversity and ethnobotany to the USDA Plants database. With funding to help tribal language programs with the work, we will match scientific names of plants already in the database with Native names, plant uses, audio clips of the plant names being said, and possible images of plants being used. We will empower language programs to decide whether names or uses are appropriate to share. Our goal is to work with 5 language programs this year and another 7 next year. We believe that this effort will support Native languages programs, highlight traditional ecological knowledge and encourage Indigenous language use. Your ideas and suggestions are welcomed.
14:00
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Huish
, Ryan - The University of Virginia's College at Wise
Dobrin
, Lise - University of Virginia
Papua New Guinea is the most floristically rich island in the world, and the most linguistically diverse, with over 850 languages spoken, each finely attuned to, and interwoven with the environment in which it is spoken. Collaborative efforts between a linguist, an ethnobotanist, and an Indigenous community are documenting the Arapesh vernacular plant names and ethnobotanical terms and concepts to create a rich digital repository of co-created multilingual audio-visual recordings, texts, and stories, within appropriate ethical frameworks. One field method was to initiate Indigenous-created videos using high quality smartphones, emphasizing local concepts of distinguishing characteristics to identify plants, and details such as pronunciations, and how to harvest, prepare, and use the plants. Digital storytelling is one way they are preserving portions of their language associated with biocultural heritage vital to their enduring relationships with the environment and each other.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Medinaceli
, Armando - Northern Arizona University
Hansen
, Natalie - Northern Arizona University
Indigenous music represents one example of the relationship between Indigenous cultures and their environment. Using natural materials for the fabrication of musical instruments is arguably a practice as old as culture itself. As part of the cultural connections between Indigenous cultures and their local environments, we aim to document the natural materials (plants and animals) traditionally used for the fabrication of Native American musical instruments, the types of instruments fabricated, and the kinds of music/sounds produced by each one of them. This documentation also analyzes the effects of external factors, such as climate change, access to land, and others, on the production of the natural materials required for fabricating musical instruments. This presentation reflects our ongoing collaboration with the Hopi tribe in northern Arizona. The preliminary results presented are one part of a bigger project comparing the ethnobotany of music between Native American and Andean music production.
A complete and updated paleoclimate history of the Willamette Valley is critical in order to further archaeological and environmental research in the area. This study explores the broad climatic trends of vegetation and fire through charcoal influx rates, palynological records, and historical documents in respect to the archaeological record. By synthesizing data and recalibrating radiocarbon dates from existing paleoclimatic research, this study provides a complete and up-to-date history of the Willamette Valley’s climate over the past 12,000 years. This overview aims to deepen our understanding of climate change through time and provides insight into our current climate crisis.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Luccioni
, Marina - Stanford University
Moi (Polydactylus sexfilis) is a highly valued resource fish in Hawaiʻi, traditionally monitored by lawaiʻa (fishers) and konohiki (resource managers). Moi experienced significant declines in the mid 20th century, prompting a seasonal fishing ban aligned with then-recorded spawning periods. Master lawaiʻa and konohiki, Uncle Mac Poepoe, recently observed spawning season changes, likely due to habitat and environmental stressors, indicating that the ban is no longer effective for protecting moi during extended spawning periods. In response, Uncle Mac formed Nā Kai ʻEwalu, a collective of lawaiʻa, to study these changes across islands. This paper details the research process, priorities and methodologies rooted in indigenous knowledge and driven by Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiians). Our synchronized lawaiʻa monitoring network and trans-disciplinary collaboration informs effective fishing regulations and adaptive management in the face of an uncertain climate and human coastal impact, and can be applied in other resource settings.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Scanlon
, Catherine - UC Santa Barbara
Gan
, Michael
Zhu
, Ryan
This poster reports on an ethnobotanical survey with the Ende tribe in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, an under-researched hotspot of biocultural diversity. Building on a foundation of collaborative linguistic research, we worked with local Ende people as well as botanists from the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre to collect voucher specimens, match Ende plant names to their Latin species names, document their uses, and video-record the process of making items such as grass skirts, baskets, and animal traps. We identified about seventy plant species with uses including food, medicine, fish poison, snake repellent, and materials for traditional crafts. We corroborate the documented uses of some plant species and also note a few novel uses. Finally, we conducted an inductive thematic analysis of the Ende food system using narratives and conversations originally recorded for linguistic research, situating the ethnobotanical work in a broader cultural context.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Law
, Annabelle - UC Berkeley / University of Oregon
How do we learn to live with fire? It is a complex, yet fundamentally simple question we need to ask ourselves and others. For many, memories of fire in California are shrouded with fear. Although wildfire has become a common topic on the news and emerged as a higher priority for state and federal governments, the western narrative and public understanding of fire are severely lacking in the ecological and cultural components of fire. Indigenous communities have been actively engaged in fire stewardship in what is now known as California long before colonization. Today, Indigenous communities continue to resist and survive generations of land dispossession and physical/cultural genocide through eco-cultural revitalization. Through centering the stories of how the North Fork Mono Tribe is revitalizing their cultural fire practices, we are able to learn about the past, present, and future possibilities for Indigenous sovereignty and fire stewardship.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Papson
, Kylie - University of Nevada, Reno
In ever-growing and globalized communities, also effected by increasing climate change-related events, public policy must be crafted with the goal of balancing short- and long-term health and needs of the environment and people. A potential key to adaptation in the shifting tides of public policy is the use of applied anthropological methods that connect ethnographic research to the praxis. Through research done in the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding watersheds, this project aims to bridge the gap between anthropological studies, public policy, and environmental protection by suggesting new methods, based in ethnography and collaborative research, to be used in policy development that aims to decolonize unbalanced processes of water policy design. As the demand for the fresh waters of Lake Tahoe increase, it is imperative to do this research to ensure that chosen policies promote equal access to the fundamental human right to clean water and a healthy environment.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Kepley
, Evelyn - UVA-Wise
Huish
, Ryan - UVA-Wise
Small
, Christine - Radford University
Chamberlain
, James - US Forest Service
Commender
, Katie - Appalachian Sustainable Development
Sullivan
, Matthew - UVA-Wise
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is a vulnerable eastern North American deciduous forest herb that is often used for its medicinal properties. Increasing demand and unsustainable harvesting practices have contributed to the plant’s decline. The objectives of our 5-year study are to examine: 1) effects of experimental harvests on naturally occurring populations; 2) success of rhizome propagation for root production and forest farming practices; and 3) phenology to investigate developmental stages of goldenseal and how that relates to harvester interviews. Study plots (1 m2) were established in naturally occurring populations in Kentucky and Ohio. In each plot, density, height, leaf size, and reproductive status were recorded, and experimental harvests conducted. Harvested rhizomes were transplanted into cultivation plots to monitor regrowth across the study period. Results recorded from this project are used to better understand population recovery and sustainable harvest levels, with our data suggesting higher harvest intensities do significantly impact Goldenseal populations.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Twu
, Chloe - UC San Diego
Goldstein
, Paul - UC San Diego
Garvin
, Arianna - UC San Diego
We investigate the domestic economy, cuisine, and gender roles of the Viru people (ca. 200 BCE-600 CE) through household archaeology and archaeobotany at Puerto Malabrigo, Chicama Valley of northern Peru. In households, people prepare, cook, eat, store, and throw away food, reinforcing identities or making new dietary choices with social meaning (Hastorf 2017). In an area where occupations fluctuated, households provide records of larger social transformations as residents actively adapt to changes (Billman 2021). In 2023, Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica de Puerto Malabrigo excavated Viru household units in Puerto Malabrigo. We combine archaeobotanical analysis of household contexts with research on contemporary cultures like the Moche, to examine Viru foodways, discerning social relationships and gender roles within the household. Finally, we compare Malabrigo foodways to domestic food practices at the Viru capital, Huaca Gallinazo, Viru Valley, examining how changes in women’s domestic roles reflect shifts in societal power dynamics.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Pérez
, Darío - Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Land and agrarian conflicts have intensified Colombia's internal war, particularly through land grabbing and dispossession, victimizing rural communities. National agrarian policies favor capitalist agriculture, marginalizing traditional smallholder practices. This issue is acute in Colombia's Caribbean region, where violent conflicts and market pressures have eroded farmers' socioeconomic conditions and biocultural memory. This research, using social mapping and historical records, examines how territorial conflicts have influenced agricultural practices and agrobiodiversity at the scale of a village. Findings show that armed conflict and capitalist agricultural models supported by the state, have transformed local farming practices and decreased agrobiodiversity.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Pundyk
, Kristen - University of British Columbia
Millennia of Indigenous stewardship in the Pacific Northwest have resulted in ecologically and functionally diverse food-forest ecosystems supported by soils uniquely enriched in carbon and bioavailable nutrients. Traditional forest gardening practices, such as amending soil with fish remains and applying low-intensity fire, have shaped legacy-state forest gardens that continue to thrive near ancient village sites (Armstrong et al. 2021). These practices have resulted in soils with improved physicochemical properties compared to the acidic, nutrient-poor podzolic soils of the peripheral forests. In collaboration with Kitselas Nation in northwestern British Columbia, this research integrates soil biogeochemistry, historical ecology, and community food systems to support the revitalization of traditional soil amending practices and the reintroduction of forest garden ecosystems. By exploring the legacies of Indigenous land-use and soil stewardship, this research aims to inform and improve contemporary soil practices, strengthen food-forest ecosystem resiliency, and support Indigenous food and land sovereignty.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Philbin
, Casey - University of Nevada, Reno
Swanson
, Tod - Arizona State University
Tepe
, Eric - University of Cincinnati
Chacon-Godoy
, Katherine - University of Nevada, Reno
Dyer
, Lee - University of Nevada, Reno
Jeffrey
, Christopher - University of Nevada Reno
Richards
, Lora - University of Nevada, Reno
The 2020 COVID outbreak in Ecuador rapidly spread into Amazonian Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani communities through migrants working as first responders in cities. Many COVID survivors in these communities attributed their recovery to the preventative and curative properties of medicines derived from the maticu (Kichwa, Piper spp.) plant. Traditionally used as a decongestant to treat pneumonia, leaves steeped in hot water were ingested as tea or inhaled as vapor to treat COVID symptoms. Multiple Piper spp. may have been identified as maticu within these communities. Leaves from one such plant were extracted and analyzed using LC-MS/MS, revealing the major constituent, a C-glycosylated flavonoid that had previously been studied as an anti-hypertensive treatment. Hypertension can be elicited by COVID, suggesting maticu may have beneifts beyond its decongestant properties. Here we describe the confirmation of this maticu chemical structure by NMR, and potential COVID symptom-relieving properties of maticu chemical constituents.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Johnson
, Emily - UC Santa Barbara
Avocados provided a significant source of dietary fat for individuals throughout ancient Meso- and South America. This study quantifies the effects of carbonization and desiccation on the size and weight of fresh avocado pits to establish correction factors that accurately reconstruct the altered dimensions of archaeological samples. Haas avocado pits (n=128) underwent experimental carbonization and desiccation, with each pit’s length, width, and weight recorded pre- and post-treatment. Linear regression models of these measurements confirm significant relationships between raw and altered measurements, enabling the creation of measurement correction factors with high R2 values. Results indicate that desiccation has a greater effect on pit morphology than carbonization, with individual correction factors necessary for each treatment type and measurement. This information provides insights for researchers analyzing avocado pits subjected to similar taphonomic processes, ensuring the reliable reconstruction of archaeological data and interpretation of avocado tree management through time.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
Orhuamen
, Elizabeth - UBC - Botany
This research employs a historical-socioecological framework to examine the impacts of anthropogenic land use on Indigenous forest garden species in British Columbia. Forest gardens, cultivated by Indigenous communities, are ecosystems of fruit- and nut-bearing trees, shrubs, and edible plants within coniferous forests. These landscapes supported Indigenous food systems for millennia, reflecting deep cultural stewardship. This study analyses the impacts of land-use changes from historical to contemporary times, emphasizing integrated approaches to biodiversity conservation.
Preliminary findings reveal that over 70% of ice-free land globally has been modified by human activity. In British Columbia, logging and oil and gas exploration have drastically reduced plant diversity and degraded habitats. Using historical records, ecological data, and tools like MaxEnt and the InVEST Habitat Quality model, this study identifies areas most affected by anthropogenic pressures and highlights key regions for conservation and restoration.
The findings offer insights into protecting culturally significant plants and landscapes under evolving climate and land-use scenarios in BC.
13:30
Presentation Format:
Poster (in-person)
Author(s):
VanDerwarker
, Amber - University of California Santa Barbara Anthropology
Recent research demonstrates that ancient Mesoamericans engaged in forest management long before they domesticated field crops like maize (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus spp.). Our research from El Gigante, a dry rockshelter in southeastern Honduras boasting an extensive desiccated plant assemblage, provides additional evidence for the antiquity of tree management practices in several different economically useful species over a period of 10,000 years. This presentation focuses on ciruela (hog plum; Spondias purpurea), represented at El Gigante by more than 2,000 seeds. Chronological control of the assemblage has been well established based on Bayesian analysis of 292 directly-dated macrofossils, allowing for a fine-grained morphometric analysis seed size and shape through time. Statistical analysis of seeds reveals a long history of domestication by local groups during the last 8,000 years, evidenced by size increases and a trend toward more elongated seeds.
, Shauna - University of Northern British Columbia
Among the Mursi of southern Ethiopia, wild plant foods are discussed as having a lower profile than agro-pastoral foods. While sorghum (or maize) porridge (tila), makes the most significant contribution to the daily diet of the Mursi (Turton 1973), in the absence of milk, wild edible plants, especially boiled leaves (kinnoi), are eaten together with porridge. Wild edible fruits (kênô bhurra) and roots (kirimoga) also provide vital nutrients throughout the year, especially during periods of cyclical scarcity. One of the most culturally salient ‘famine foods’ (bhaaga rôbhôgay) in northern Mursi is that of marula (chobui), also referred to as ‘children’s food’ (tilaa eruin) (LaTosky 2022). Understanding the importance of marula for the Mursi has been largely understudied and will be discussed in relation to Mursi rhetoric, knowledge, production, and the use of ‘children’s famine foods’ using visual anthropological methods.
14:15
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
McCune
, Letitia - BotanyDoc, LLC
Given this year’s conference theme of ethnobiology across depths and heights, this presentation will focus on environmental factors that influence the potency of medicinal plants with a focus on traditional gathering sites. A review of the research will illustrate the effects of altitude, soil conditions, temperature, light, and stage of development on secondary metabolites of select herbs. Growing conditions have been found to affect volatile chemical production, essential oils, flower production, antioxidants, etc. Compiling the known compounds of gathered medicinal plant species, in combination with the above research, could help the feasibility of highlighting a particular plant species population as critical to an Indigenous community’s health. With methods in place to maintain the privacy of sites, the collecting practices and site conditions could be documented along with known information on the plant species to clarify the medical importance and need for protection of traditional gathering sites.
14:30
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
McFarland
, Jeremy - University of Nevada Reno
Red abalone (Haliotis rufescens) is a cultural keystone species vital to the cultural identify and lifeways of local and neighboring California Indigenous communities for millennia. Now critically endangered, red abalone populations face threats from climate change, habitat loss, and other impacts. Indigenous abalone gardens in southern Humboldt County, CA give insights into long-term socio-ecological relationships between the Ancestral Nek'anní (Bear River) and their marine environments. Archaeological and ecological research suggests that these gardens have increased the abundance and biodiversity of intertidal organisms and have enhanced microhabitats crucial for successful red abalone reproduction. This research has the potential to inform red abalone restoration efforts, providing a blueprint for community-based conservation strategies and innovative solutions for protecting important marine ecosystems for future generations. This work is in support of and supported by the Bear River Band of Rohnerville Rancheria who aim to revitalize their cultural heritage and traditional practices within their homelands.
14:45
Presentation Format:
Oral (in-person)
Author(s):
Soewu
, Durojaye - Non-governmental Organization
Appeasing gods, witches and ancestral spirits constitute an integral part of the traditional healing practices of Yorubas. Ten classes of sacrifice were identified, some with proven efficacy. Response from astral realm could signify acceptance, when presentation is “consumed” within a stipulated time, or it could be “ignored” to indicate rejection. Most sacrifices have time and presentation-spot specificity. A wide variety of wild animals were utilized in preparing these sacrifices without consideration for conservation interests. Preparations involved animals under varying degrees of threats and age grades. In addition to depleting populations, such requirements eat deep into the procreation base of populations, denying members the opportunity to participate in reproductive activities. There is an urgent need to improve the yield of these animals, in-situ, and ex-situ. There is also a need to reduce demand for, and utilization of, these resources through massive conservation education, extension services and capacity building for indigenous people.