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Ethics and Research Methodologies for the Study of Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge

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Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge

Part of the book series: World Forests ((WFSE,volume 12))

Abstract

This chapter examines some of the main research methodologies for studying traditional forest-related knowledge (TFRK). Initially, we address ethical issues, asking, for example, what constitutes proper handling of research results. The relationship between TFRK and modern science is then discussed from a methodological perspective, after which an account of some of the main methods used for studying such knowledge—including participant observation, interviews, cultural domain analysis, questionnaires, and workshops—is provided. Ethnographic approaches are recommended for documenting both verbal and tacit knowledge embedded in skills and practices, while the tools of cultural domain analysis allow for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of individual variation in knowledge. Finally, recurring elements of best practice are presented. If ethical and methodological questions are not addressed in a consistent and systematic manner from the outset of the research, the rights of TFRK owners may well be infringed, meaning that benefits will not accrue to the owners and that access to resources (such as genetic resources) may be suddenly curtailed. Thus, all parties must address the challenges raised by the maintenance, use, and protection of traditional forest-related knowledge when there is interaction between the holders and users of such knowledge.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The terms etic and emic were originally introduced by the American linguist Kenneth Pike (1967)—the words being derived from phonetic and phonemic—and further developed by the anthropologists Marvin Harris (see Headland et al. 1990) and Ward Goodenough (1970).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Christian Gamborg

  2. Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Fredericton, Canada

    Reg Parsons

  3. School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, UK

    Rajindra K. Puri

  4. Danish Centre for Bioethics and Risk Assessment, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Peter Sandøe

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  1. Christian Gamborg
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  2. Reg Parsons
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  3. Rajindra K. Puri
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  4. Peter Sandøe
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Correspondence to Christian Gamborg .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Research & Development Branch, U.S. Forest Service, North Kent Street 1601, Arlington, 22209, Virginia, USA

    John A. Parrotta

  2. , American Indian Studies, The University of Arizona, E. Second Street 1103, Tuscon, 85721, Arizona, USA

    Ronald L. Trosper

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Gamborg, C., Parsons, R., Puri, R.K., Sandøe, P. (2012). Ethics and Research Methodologies for the Study of Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge. In: Parrotta, J., Trosper, R. (eds) Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge. World Forests, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2144-9_14

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