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Northeast Asia

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Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge

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

Abstract

Northeast Asia including China has a vast land area that hosts many ethnic groups living in diverse environmental conditions. Its ecological diversity is matched with diverse cultural heritages, including forest-related cultures. There is a rich tradition of managing the villagers’ common forests, with well-organized institutions in accordance with traditional religious customs of the local communities. People of village groves and community common forests such as the ‘fengshui’ forest in China, ‘satoyama’ in Japan, and ‘maeulsoop’ in Korea have kept their traditional knowledge about forest ecosystems that provide physical, cultural and spiritual amenities to local communities. People in this region have been protecting some of their forests as seed and water conservation reserves, while some forest areas have been used traditionally as sources of medicinal herbs and food. Agroforestry has long been a common practice for the production of food, timber, and fibre in the region and has gained vitality when integrated with modern technology, in particular in China. Many species of medicinal herbs as well as mushrooms continue be collected, and cultivated, in the forests of Northeast Asian forests. Traditional forest-related knowledge, however, has been eroding in Northeast Asia as countries in this region have become industrialized and influenced by economic globalization. This rapid loss has been exacerbated by government policies promoting infrastructure development and free trade. In order to protect traditional forest-related knowledge, it should be given proper recognition and an equitable role alongside scientific knowledge in social decision-making. Suitable regulations should also be implemented in order to protect the local peoples who have created and inherited traditional forest-related knowledge. It is imperative, therefore, that scientific knowledge be integrated with traditional forestry-related knowledge.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Youn Yeo-Chang

  2. School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Liu Jinlong

  3. Osaka Museum of Natural History, Osaka, Japan

    Sakuma Daisuke

  4. Department of Forest Resources, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Kim Kiweon

  5. Faculty of Agriculture, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan

    Masahiro Ichikawa

  6. Korea Forest Research Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Shin Joon-Hwan

  7. Guizhou College of Finance and Economy, Guiyang, China

    Yuan Juanwen

Authors
  1. Youn Yeo-Chang
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  2. Liu Jinlong
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  3. Sakuma Daisuke
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  4. Kim Kiweon
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  7. Yuan Juanwen
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Correspondence to Youn Yeo-Chang .

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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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Yeo-Chang, Y. et al. (2012). Northeast Asia. 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_8

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