Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Endangered Species Recovery

Is Ethnobiology for the Birds

Bibliographic Data

ID7843915
AuthorsGary Paul Nabhan (University of Arizona, corresponding author), Dennis Martinez (Society for Ecological Restoration)
Year2012
Volume32
Issue1
Pages1-5
Publication date2012-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Ethnobiology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0278-0771 • E-ISSN: 2162-4496
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2993/0278-0771-32.1.1
OpenAlexW2097980092
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited1

Perhaps the most often-cited quote in biological conservation circles is this ominous warning from E. O. Wilson (1990:182): ‘‘The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the destruction of natural habitats. This is the folly our descendants are least likely to forgive us.’’ If there is a cultural corollary to Wilson’s principle, it is that the loss of and disregard for traditional ecological knowledge may regrettably keep us from maintaining or recovering the species now at risk due to habitat destruction, fragmentation or mismanagement. Nonetheless, there remains sufficient indigenous knowledge about endangered species, their life histories and habitats, to give us hope that it can guide both species recovery and habitat restoration in order to prevent the further loss of biodiversity. This hope is grounded in our discussions with tribal elders and indigenous resource managers who retain detailed oral histories of the behavior and habitats of critically endangered species such as the ‘‘California’’ condor (Gymnogyps californianus), a species that was never geopolitically restricted to California alone. This North American condor is one of 1253 species of birds considered to be threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); another 853 avian species are considered ‘‘near threatened’’ as well. Together, the birds in these two categories amount to roughly twenty percent of all avian species already described by Western science. But something remarkable has happened to condors in North America over the last quarter century, something which flies in the face of the global trends regarding other endangered birds. While the conservation status of nearly all of the IUCN Red Listed birds at risk has deteriorated since 1988 (Butchart et al. 2004), condor numbers have increased from the 22 individuals captured in 1987, to over 386 individuals today. At least 213 condors now live and thrive in the wilds of Arizona, Baja California, California, and Utah. Notably, both ethnobiologists and keepers of traditional knowledge have played roles in the recovery of condors in North America, and we believe will continue to do so. It was the Society for Ethnobiology’s first elected president, Amadeo Rea, who first discovered that lead poisoning might be playing a disproportionately large role in condor deaths. He is also recognized as the first scientist who ‘‘recommended the Grand Canyon region as the best place to

Biology · Endangered species · Ethnobiology · Geography · Habitat · Indigenous · Traditional knowledge · Rangeland and Wildlife Management · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation · Ecology

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