Traditional crops contribute to food security and agroecological sustainability, but their diversity is threatened by economic, environmental, and sociocultural factors. We use a case study of the Andean tuber crop oca (Oxalis tuberosa; Oxalidaceae), in Pisac District, Cusco Region, Peru, to explore the commonly held assumptions that: 1) farmers maintain traditional crop diversity for practical purposes and 2) that the major threats to this diversity occur when increased access to resources compromises farmers’ motivations for maintaining traditional crops. Using a qualitative research approach, we examine motivations for, and threats to, oca diversity in two smallholder farming communities. Farmers reveal agricultural, economic, and dietary and medicinal motivations for oca conservation, though they are most strongly motivated by intangible cultural factors. Farmers describe threats to some of these motivations, but they suggest that oca conservation is most immediately threatened by the oca weevil (Adioristidius tuberculatus), which has compromised their ability to obtain and maintain oca diversity. We encourage academics and conservation professionals to consider and honor the role of cultural values in shaping agricultural landscapes, and we call for increased research emphasis on traditional crops to support farmers in their efforts to conserve them.

The abundant anthropological and historical evidence for animal-based medicine, or zootherapy, suggests that animals are, and have always been, perceived as important components in maintaining human health and well-being. Despite being interwoven into every aspect of life, from food medicines to ritual practice and everyday human-animal interactions, zootherapies are widely considered invisible in the archaeological record, perhaps because of their organic nature, the method of remedy preparation, or potentially because of their sheer ubiquity. An alternative explanation is that archaeologists are just not viewing the evidence through an appropriate theoretical lens. This article sets out to examine whether archaeologists might make a greater contribution to our understanding of ancient zootherapy. As a case study, it draws particularly on evidence pertaining to the European fallow deer (Dama dama dama) an exotic species that is well represented in classical mythology and iconography and appears to have been attributed with magico-religious medicinal qualities. Indeed, here we argue that their perceived magico-medicinal value may even have been the prime mover in their human-instigated spread across Europe.

This paper is a literature review of the relationships Indigenous peoples in the Lower Murray of temperate South Australia had with the local avifauna as recorded in the early years of European settlement. Birds were prominent as clan ancestors in their creation stories, being credited with the formation of landforms and the establishment of law and custom. Aboriginal origin stories describe bird behavior and detail the relationships between birds, plants, rain, and fire. Ornithological bodies of knowledge that are framed outside of Western science, such as the ethno-ornithological information discussed here, provide an alternative lens with which to view avifaunal biodiversity in a manner that respects local cultural values.

Past human environmental impact is a subject of interest for researchers in many fields, partly because research into the effects of long-term human land use has the potential to influence contemporary and future management practices geared toward achieving sustainability in resource use. We present an example from the Tombigbee River valley, located in Mississippi and Alabama, USA, which shows how multiple data sets derived from archaeological remains can be used to characterize the effects of Native land use practices in an interior continental setting. The data show resource depression, nutritional stress, increased interpersonal conflict, and other markers of a sedentary foraging population at the limit of its environment’s carrying capacity during the Late Woodland period (AD 600–1000). This situation is similar to other reported archaeological cases where human populations were spatially constrained, but may differ in important ways from situations where sedentary settlement patterns evolved in other environments.

Fish smoking with local wood species is a traditional practice in French Guiana. We evaluated the carcinogenic risk and the smoky taste in acoupa weakfish (Cynoscion acoupa) smoked by a small Guianese company specializing in fish smoking using local wood species. The goal of this study is to promote regional economic development by encouraging the establishment of small companies offering fish smoked with local wood species in agreement with the European health norms in terms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content in smoked fish. The fish smoked with three species of wood traditionally used in French Guiana, Parinari campestris, Caesaria grandiflora, and Laetia procera, conformed to European standards for PAH content. Their phenol contents (correlated with the smoky taste) were close to smoked salmon, the reference in Europe. Given the low rate of extractable compounds in these woods, other flavors had little chance of predominating on the smoky taste. These three tropical wood species might be used for the production of cold smoked fish in compliance with European standards for PAH residues. The flavor and consumer’s acceptance of the smoked fish should now be investigated to characterize the added typicity of local woods in comparison to the commonly used European woods.

Satellite mapping contributes significantly to ecological studies of landscape composition and structure but needs to better engage local populations in more culturally sensitive assessments of diversity patterns. This study examines how participatory mapping can contribute to land-cover analyses derived from satellite data of landscapes in the Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA), Nepal. Landscapes were mapped by local residents, first on paper and again on a geo-registered Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scene, for April 7, 2010. Local landscape knowledge from men and women was transferred from participatory maps to the classified satellite image to create an integrated landscape map for the MCA. Participatory maps added the significance of “place” to the evaluation of landscape diversity (n = 276 named places for women and 315 for men). The classification of the TM image resulted in seven land cover types with only 10% of the land classified as forests, which are highly fragmented. The final map combined local landscape knowledge (n = 43 places mapped on the TM image and n = 21 from the transect walks) with the empirical classification of land cover types, increasing the spatial understanding of MCA as a “place” of material use and cultural meaning. This integrative map, as process and outcome, promoted collaborative learning about local places and local peoples’ perspectives on their landscape, which can contribute to more adaptive landscape planning and conservation of forest and livelihood resources.

Ethnotaxonomy seeks to understand how people identify, name, and classify living organisms, associating traditional and scientific knowledge. We examined the ethnobiological and ethnotaxonomic classification systems of fishermen in relation to naming commercial fish at the Tamandaré and Batoque beaches on the northeastern coast of Brazil. Seventy-five fishermen were interviewed between January and August of 2013. The interviews concentrated on the morphological, ecological, and sociocultural criteria used in identification, naming, and classification. Fishermen mentioned 441 popular fish names, representing 268 scientific taxa. Of these, 58% were named based on morphological characteristics using folk terminology. Seventy-two generic monotypes, 42 generic polytypes, and 228 folk specific taxa were recorded at Tamandaré Beach; while 80, 43, and 184 were recorded at Batoque Beach, respectively. We identified five types of correspondence between scientific taxa and folk specific taxa, as well as four classification systems: hierarchical, sequential, ecological, and sociocultural. Information concerning the richness, diversity, and bioecology of fish can be obtained from the ethnobiological and ethnotaxonomic systems from fishermen along with related sociocultural parameters, such as habitat, food and fish seasonality, and the different ways of using this resource. Findings of this work will be useful in implementing proactive conservation and management plans.

The Philippine bare-backed fruit bat, Dobsonia chapmani, is considered one of the most threatened bats in the world. It was presumed extinct by the 1970s but was rediscovered in early 2000 and was declared critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2006. Hunting, deforestation, guano mining, and a general lack of environmental awareness have led to precipitous population declines. Lack of information on the current threats to this species greatly inhibits conservation efforts leaving populations of D. chapmani at great risk of extinction. To address some of these key knowledge gaps, ethnobiological surveys were conducted to assess bat hunter behavior and perception in the areas surrounding the forest where D. chapmani is found. Generally, bat populations were perceived to be steadily declining and hunting was still seen as the principal driver of this trend. However, the effects of unabated habitat destruction, which are often gradual and subtle, are as likely as detrimental, if not more so, in the long-term. Researchers’ recent sightings of D. chapmani have emphasized the extinction vulnerability of the species and mobilized government protection of remaining forest habitats in the area. Further intensive surveys to estimate population size and understand the ecology of this species, formulation of research-based conservation policies that offer protection at species and ecosystem levels, and community-based programs are vital next steps in saving what is possibly the last surviving population of this endemic species.

Many conservation and management policies adopted in countries with megadiverse forest remnants largely neglect local human communities living in areas surrounding preserves. We investigated the attitudes and knowledge of teachers and students towards scorpions and frogs in the limits between a tropical rainforest reserve and a large Amazonian city. We aimed to identify possible deficiencies in environmental education and the level of knowledge about these animals. Data were collected from 110 students of both genders, aging between eight and 16 years old, representing four different schools located at the periphery of Manaus City, Amazonas State, Brazil. Written responses concerning personal experiences, knowledge, and background about the animals were collected from students and teachers through open- and closed-ended questions. Hand drawn responses were also gathered from the students. Members of the studied population showed more negative than positive attitudes towards scorpions and frogs. We found that gender and sex held similar attitudes in relation to these animals. However, boys tended to be more interested than girls were in the biology of scorpions. In addition, attitudes towards scorpions became more negative as age increased. Most students pictured scorpions and frogs as dangerous, lethal, or aggressive. Such conceptions were also recorded among teachers. We detected a huge lacuna in the knowledge on the importance and about biological and ecological aspects of both groups. Educational activities focused on emotional affinity of students with animals should be associated with traditional lessons, which can enhance conservation strategies.

For many indigenous peoples, the contributions of wild edible plants go well beyond nourishment; they are often also used as dye and medicines, as well as markers of identity. However, historical and contemporary processes of land grabbing, forest loss, acculturation, and lifestyle changes may erode the transmission of plant knowledge to new generations. In this paper, we document 1) the botanical knowledge of wild edible plants and 2) perceived influences on the transmission of this knowledge to younger generations in a Mapuche community in Andean temperate forests, Chile. Thirty-seven people participated in this study. We conducted participant observation, freelists, and informal, photo-elicitation, and semi-structured interviews. A total of 47 wild edibles were recorded (42 plants were determined to species level by participants). Digüeñe (Cyttaria espinosae; Smith’s Index of Saliency, S = 0.82) was the most salient wild edible, followed by changle (Ramaria flava, S = 0.68), maqui (Aristotelia chilensis, S = 0.67), murra (Rubus ulmifolius, S = 0.59), and piñón (Araucaria araucana, S = 0.56). Participants provided detailed information on species seasonality, ecology, and changes in availability over time. Most adult women and elders had a comprehensive knowledge of wild edibles. However, younger generations were not learning what the elders had once learned. The lack of access to forests and the formal school regime were reported as the main factors interrupting the transmission of knowledge. Because Mapuche pedagogy is oral and in situ, land loss and the school regime have left younger generations with few opportunities to engage in these forms of indigenous pedagogy.

Subsistence horticulturalists learn considerable local ecological knowledge by early adulthood. We investigate the relationship between children’s family environments and learning of their plant environment. In a rural village in Dominica, West Indies, children of ages four through 17 (N = 51) participated in a “plant trail” along a route containing 50 core local plants marked for identification. Plants in question resulted from village adults’ freelists on members of local plant domains found via nominal group technique (i.e., trees, staple foods, vegetables, condiments, medicines, and ornamentals). Individual children’s ethnobotanical knowledge was assessed through proper plant identification with a local term. Findings indicate that children learn botanical domains differentially. They identify trees and staple crop plants early in life. As they develop, they learn other plant domains, and trees and staples decrease in proportion to total ethnobotanical knowledge. Boys retain a larger proportion of tree knowledge, as tree care is part of the masculine labor division. Children’s, especially girls’, proportion of medicinal plant knowledge grows steadily into adulthood. As predicted, children with homes in extended family compounds demonstrate more ethnobotanical knowledge than children whose neighbors are not close kin. Contrary to predictions, a father’s presence in the household is not an indicator of the children’s plant identification ability. Having younger siblings predicts learning more plants. Trees form a smaller proportion of total plant knowledge for family-compound-living children and those with lower birth order, who tend to have greater overall ethnobotanical knowledge. Ethnobotanical learning relates to gender, birth order, and extended kin access.

Understanding environmental philosophies and wisdom of tribal communities provides insights into sustainable ways of living and conservation. Many tribal communities rely on oral traditions for storage and communication of ecological, cultural, and religious wisdom. An evaluation of the Gāli Sāré, or the camel praise poetry, practiced in the form of sung poetry by the Afar nomads of the Horn of Africa, revealed that as well as being praise of the camel, the Gāli Sāré poems are oral eco-poetry and reflect biophilia. Issues such as biodiversity, environmental crises, livelihoods, clan politics, and landscapes are addressed in the poems, while conveying themes of abundance, drought, changing landscape, and livestock raids. In these oral poems, the animate and inanimate environment, including rangeland plants, mountains, rivers, lakes, animals, the weather, and spirits, are used in metaphoric, symbolic, and realistic expressions. Embedded in these poems are the ecological and social philosophy and wisdom of Afar nomads as well as their concerns about contemporary environmental problems. Oral traditions can be used to understand ecological wisdom and perceptions of tribal communities and provide insights into and lessons in sustainable living.