Abstract
Detecting ecological change is a critical first step in the process of local-level adaptation, yet few studies have explored the factors that predict knowledge acquisition following catastrophic events. This article empirically assesses individual variation in the ability of Solomon Islanders to detect ecological change following the alteration of local, shallow-water, marine environments by a major tsunami. We compare the results of marine science surveys with local ecological knowledge of the benthos. We also examine multiple socioeconomic variables, and employ social network analysis to measure the influence of social and expert networks. Results show that villagers with salaried work who are at the intersection of local and global knowledge were the most adept at detecting tsunami-induced changes to benthic surfaces. Social networks had no statistically significant influence on villagers’ abilities to detect change. We argue that these results counter common conceptualizations of indigenous knowledge that emphasize its normative, shared, inter-generationally transmitted characteristics rather than its heterogeneity, emergence, and practical application. Our findings have implications for theory about the foundations of indigenous knowledge research and the design of disaster mitigation efforts or resource management programs that incorporate indigenous ecological knowledge.
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Notes
We considered using data transformation techniques on several variables to provide more normal distributions, but the transformed data did not affect the outcome of our statistical analysis.
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Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the people of Vonavona Lagoon for supporting this research. In particular, we thank Nixon Tooler, Tungama Gua, and Lawrence Buka as well as graduate students Luke Campanella and Ben Nugent for their help in data collection, and Lynetta Campbell for her assistance with statistical analysis. Thanks also to Rence Sore, Permanent Secretary of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Meteorology. We acknowledge the valuable input of three anonymous reviewers. The National Science Foundation Human Dimensions and Social Dynamics Program (NSF Award #0827022) and San Diego State University generously provided financial support for this research.
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The authors have no conflict of interest. IRB approval for this research was granted by San Diego State University Foundation. Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in this study.
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Lauer, M., Matera, J. Who Detects Ecological Change After Catastrophic Events? Indigenous Knowledge, Social Networks, and Situated Practices. Hum Ecol 44, 33–46 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9811-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9811-3