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Revitalizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge: A Study in an Alpine Rural Community

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Abstract

This study aims to contribute to the debate on the value and the role of ecological knowledge in modern conservation strategies, with reference to the results of a case study conducted in the community of Montagne, located within a World Heritage site in the Italian Alps. This community is a paradigmatic example of the multiple transformations experienced by cultural landscapes in Alpine areas under the influence of global change. This study seeks to understand whether ecological knowledge is still in place in the community, and what the relationship is between the knowledge transmission and land use and social changes that have occurred in recent decades. To that end, the community is described by identifying the key variables (social, institutional, and ecological) that have historically shaped the landscape and the future priorities of the residents. Forest expansion, the most significant change in land use in the last 60 years, is analyzed using aerial photos; changes in biodiversity-related knowledge in the community are quantified by analyzing the inter-generational differences in plant species recognition. Results are discussed in the context of the current situation of the Montagne community, and the recommendation is made that policies and actions to promote traditional ecological knowledge protection or recovery in Europe be viewed as an important part of the recovery of community sovereignty and vitality. Lastly, concrete actions that can be implemented in our case study are proposed.

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Acknowledgments

Elena Ianni acknowledges the financial support of the Provincia Autonoma di Trento through the HUMANITY Project, Marie Curie action, COFUND-GA-2008-226070. The authors would like to thank Michela Simoni, Mayor of Montagne, Claudia Simoni, and all the members of the community that participated in the study; Giacomo Ceranelli for helping with species identification; Clara Tattoni for her technical support in the spatial analysis; and Ashleigh Rose for the English language editing. The authors thank two anonymous reviewers and the Associate Editor for their helpful comments.

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  1. Department of Civil, Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, University of Trento, via Mesiano 77, 38100, Trento, Italy

    Elena Ianni, Davide Geneletti & Marco Ciolli

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  1. Elena Ianni
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Correspondence to Elena Ianni.

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Ianni, E., Geneletti, D. & Ciolli, M. Revitalizing Traditional Ecological Knowledge: A Study in an Alpine Rural Community. Environmental Management 56, 144–156 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0479-z

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