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Erosión Cultural y Biodiversidad: Conocimiento sobre la Manufactura de Canoas en Pohnpei, Micronesia
Author(s) -
BROSI BERRY J.,
BALICK MICHAEL J.,
WOLKOW ROBERT,
LEE ROBERTA,
KOSTKA MARK,
RAYNOR WILLIAM,
GALLEN ROBERT,
RAYNOR ALLY,
RAYNOR PELIHTER,
LEE LING DANA
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00654.x
Subject(s) - biodiversity , craft , biodiversity conservation , traditional knowledge , geography , work (physics) , cultural knowledge , environmental resource management , environmental planning , ecology , sociology , archaeology , biology , engineering , mechanical engineering , pedagogy , environmental science , indigenous
Erosion of traditional knowledge and practice is a serious and accelerating problem, but quantitative work on traditional knowledge loss and its importance to biodiversity conservation is lacking. We investigated traditional knowledge of canoe making, a skill heavily dependent on plant biodiversity, on Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, through a survey of 180 island residents. Our results showed that there has been an intergenerational erosion of canoe‐making skills. Given current trends, the present generation of Pohnpeians may be the last to retain any knowledge of this traditional craft. We also identified several correlates of knowledge loss—including Western educational level and occupation—that highlight potential avenues for skill conservation via governments, traditional leadership, and schools. These institutions could intervene to emphasize traditional knowledge, which would reinforce institutional contexts in which traditional knowledge and practice is valued. The heightened awareness of the value of biodiversity that is linked to traditional knowledge is key to biological conservation on Pohnpei and can help support local conservation programs.