Ex-Situ Conservation of Local Ecological Knowledge

Transcription

1 Ex-Situ Conservation of Local Ecological Knowledge Wilson Lau Joint European Master in Environmental Studies (JEMES) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Specialised Field of Study: Rural Development and Biocultural Diversity Supervisor: Prof. Victoria Reyes-García, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Co-Supervisor: Prof. Mona Dahms, Aalborg University ICTA- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals

2 Preamble This study focuses the safeguarding of local ecological knowledge (LEK) as an important facet in rural development. The paper spotlights on the Indian subcontinent, with its distinctive cultural heritage, its majority population in rural residencies, and the prevailing practice of LEK. Rural livelihoods are changing at a rapid pace, and the kind of development that is undergone does not always support the maintenance of LEK practices. Outsider interest of India s vast informal collection of LEK has spawned different strategies in ensuring that the knowledge is assembled before it is lost. Therefore, LEK conservation strategies that are aimed at enhancing biocultural diversity are relevant for this study. It is the present researcher s intention to apply the empowerment theory to a LEK conservation case, in order to examine how rural development can be advanced in a way that promotes biocultural diversity. In distinguishing a new conceptualisation of LEK, the research contributes an unstudied context of investigation to empowerment theory. An internship at SRISTI, the case study organisation for this research, was set to begin in mid-april, and provided the opportunity for the researcher to familiarise with the organisation before preparing to collect data for the thesis. Field work was carried out from the start of May until the first week of June, in five districts of Gujarat, India, where SRISTI is headquartered. Assistance from SRISTI s staff, in terms of travel organisation, translation and cultural adjustments had helped to relieve the inevitable difficulties of undertaking research in an unfamiliar locale. As well, its broad network of volunteers facilitated the process of sample selection for this study. The focus on empowerment was inspired, in part, by a need to explain and theorise the enthusiasm of affiliated members of SRISTI and their reverence for SRISTI s work.

3 Abstract Regimes that aim to utilise or conserve LEK have predominantly been exploitative of traditional LEKholders. As well, LEK-holders tend to be poor and marginalised, despite been knowledge rich, meaning that regimes that aim to extract their knowledge must incorporate a development agenda in order for the outcome to be equitable for both knowledge holders and seekers. This research examines whether the safeguarding of local ecological knowledge (LEK) can be a source of empowerment and generate development benefits. SRISTI, an NGO based in Gujarat, India, is used as a case study for the present research. The organisation utilises an ex-situ method of safeguarding LEK in a database, but includes various activities that encourage the sharing of LEK between people at the grassroots, thus promoting its continued practice in-situ. An empowerment framework was employed, accompanied by a qualitative methodology, to extract respondent s perceptions about the influence that SRISTI has rendered upon their livelihoods. The findings suggest that SRISTI has a strong influence on respondents psychological, social and human capitals, boosting their aspiration and capacity to enact change in their lives. The reported livelihood changes exhibit a transformative character, where an individual converts from a state of powerlessness to being imbued with power. The research makes a valuable contribution to LEK and empowerment theory, by providing in-depth evidence that an ex-situ LEK database can be a conduit for individual empowerment, leading to positive livelihood outcomes. Keywords: local ecological knowledge, empowerment, livelihood, database, ex-situ conservation

4 Acknowledgements I would like to extend my gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Victoria Reyes-García for her friendly guidance, rapid responses and kind words of support at the right moments. As well, special thanks to my co-supervisor, Prof. Mona Dahms, for her encouragements and helpful comments from across the wide oceans. In India, I am grateful to Anil K. Gupta for giving me freedom during the internship, and for encouraging me to get out to the field as soon as possible. Special thanks to Hema Patel, who was ceaseless in her care and in taking on my wild assumptions with openness. As well, I am grateful to Komal Agrawal for her support, guidance, and most of all, her friendship. I would like to thank all the staff at SRISTI, NIF and IIMA, who were so kind with their time and so willing to accommodate. My sincere thanks to the inhabitants in the villages that I visited in Gujarat, all of whom were welcoming and curious; and in particular thank you to Bhagyavan, Ketan, and Amrutbhai, who ushered me into their homes and took consummate care of me during my stay with them. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support during the thesis period. Finally, I wish to express my appreciation to the European Commission for the Erasmas Mundus Scholarship grant for the whole duration of my master studies.

5 Contents Title Page... i Preamble... ii Abstract... iii Acknowledgements... iv Contents... v 1. Introduction Commercialisation and Conservation of LEK Research Question Empowerment Framework Objectives Literature Review Local Ecological Knowledge Changing Perceptions about LEK Characteristics of LEK The Right Terminology for Characterising LEK The Value of LEK Conceptualisation of LEK Empowerment Delineations of Power Agency Opportunity Structure Degree of Empowerment Development Outcomes Linkages within the Empowerment Framework LEK databases that enable empowerment: a proposition Methodology Ontological and Epistemological Position Qualitative Approach to Data Collection Case Study Theoretical Underpinning of the Case Study Approach Choice of SRISTI as a case study Functions and Activities of the case study Data Needs, Data Sources and Assessment Instruments... 29

6 4.5 Data Collection Method Sampling Interviewing Participant Observation Data Analysis Methodological Limitations Sampling Assessment Instrument Interviewing Research Context Description Analysis Status of Rural India Changes at the Village Level A Life of Drudgery Tracking the Cause and Effect of Change The State of LEK Youth and their Perceptions of LEK The Influence of SRISTI SRISTI as a Development Catalyst Attributions to SRISTI Discussion Situating the Case Study in the Rural Milieu Achieving Empowerment SRISTI influence on individual agency Empowerment as a Process and an Outcome Empowerment in an ex-situ database Conclusion Contributions and Implications of the Research Empowerment Theory LEK Theory Future Research LEK Conservation Regimes Empowerment Methodology Reference... 66

7 Appendix 1: Semi-structured interview questions (affiliated respondents) Appendix 2: Semi-structured interview questions (unaffiliated respondents) Appendix 3: Respondent Characteristics... 76