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Critical issues related to forest traditional

knowledge and cultureLiu Jinlong

Centre for Forest, Environment, and Resource Policy Study Renmin University of China

Dialogue on Forestry in the Context of Eco-Civilization July 192013

Buyi people

Fengshui forest at Buyi ethnic community

Fengshui forest at Tong ethnic community

Table of contents

What is TFRKHighlights of role of

TFRKA glimpse of

traditional forests and culture

OUR action

20th+ century developments: beyond timber.

Increased recognition of importance of forests, and increased public demands for: Water resource

management Soil conservation Biodiversity conservation Recreation and health Non-timber forest

products Forest-based livelihoods Cultural values

What is traditional forest-related knowledge?

“a cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief, handed down through generations by cultural transmission and evolving by adaptive processes, about the relationship between living beings (including humans) with one another and with their forest environment”

United Nations Forum on Forests 2004

Glimpses on TFRKs

Europe Africa

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Glimpses on TFRKs

Mid AsiaAsia

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Unique features of traditional forest-related knowledge Sustainability: the goal - maintaining

the sustainability of the system. Relationships: peoples’ connections

among themselves and to their territory are not severed by the use of new knowledge, ideas or techniques.

Identity: people maintain their distinct identities.

Reciprocity: people maintain their system of benefit sharing among themselves, and

Limits on exchange: while people may engage in market exchange of products from the land, the fundamental productivity of the system itself is not viewed as capital to be exchanged.

Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity

Sacred sites: religious, social, ecological roles

Culturally significant species

NTFPs: wild foods, traditional medicines, craft materials, etc….

Food security and agricultural productivity

Traditional plant breeding

Agroforestry Permanent & shifting

cultivation systems

Monitoring environmental change

Long-term observations of climate and weather forecasting based on plant and animal species distributions, phenologies, migration patterns ….

Value of traditional knowledge increasingly recognized in climate change assessments :

Climate change mitigation and adaptation

High energy-use efficiency of many traditional agro-forest and shifting cultivation systems relative to “modern” high-input agriculture

Adaptation of traditional forest and agriculture management to low and/or uncertain rainfall regimes

Role of Fengshui forest and holy treesMaking the village beautiful

Soil and water conservationTombs for forefathers, keeping

forefather’s spirit quiet and well

TFRK is about how people manage

forests traditionallyForest classification/category – more then

materialized productionsFengshui forests / holy trees / closed forests /

temple forests Waterhead forestsFuelwood forestsBelt for fire protections and community

boundary

TK is a part of local eco-system, and local cultures, people’s life world,– Harmonized features between human and environments

Challenges for the preservation and development of TFRK

Erosion of traditional lifestyles, belief systems & traditional institutions governing traditional forest management.

Vanishing traditional knowledge of forest ecosystems, species and their management.

Loss of traditional local control over forest resources and use. Weak or non-existent land rights and protection of forests from encroachment or expropriation.

Degradation of forest ecosystems in regions where traditional forest knowledge is concentrated: deforestation and forest degradation

Commercialization of traditional knowledge by scientists and business interests without prior informed consent or adequate sharing of benefits (with the holders and users of this knowledge (e.g., medicinal plants)

Impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems (changing species compositions, changing animal migration patterns, increased natural and anthropogenic disturbance …) and CC mitigation measures (large-scale forest conversion for production of biofuels. e.g., oil palm, sugarcane …)

Challenges for the preservation and development of TFRK

Some critiques

Plantation + (China Tropical + Indonesia + PNG + Cambodia + Vietnam + …) = new (+ new) colonization (Human domination to motherland)

Plantation + (Germany + Norway + New Zealand + Finland) = Success of forestry

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Why?

The same philosophy, sciences, technologies and likely similar forest governance regime, but total different outcomes between the south/north.

Then we should question:Philosophy (individualism, rationalism, world

master)?Sciences is absolute “sciences”

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Some reflections Modernization = rationalization of traditional

knowledge + dismissing religion 150’s Forestry history = migration

(colonization) of European forestry sciences to the rest of the world.

Recalling the masters of Germany philophy (Johann George Hamann 、 Frederich von Schelling, J.G. von Herder, Justus Moser) in 1800s’To France and UK where enlightening occurred,

Germany is located in the east

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Forest transition

CIAS, Kyoto University

Nature of East Asia Wisdoms

Satoyama, Satoumi – Japan;Maeulsoop – Korean;Fengshui Forests, Holly trees -China

1. Philosophy: holistic and integration / simplification and segmentation

2. Governance: Collective / individuals; customary rules / legislation

3. Practices: a sort of lifestyle and attitude / property rights and trade-off for benefits

RemarksThe history of scientific forestry in China is

only hundred years. We should not totally deny the colorful forestry related traditional knowledge that had been created and practiced by 5000 years.

Our East Asia recognized we have been in background in terms of sciences and technology in the past 150 yrs.

Colonization of western wisdom (advanced or modern knowledge and way of think and livelihoods)

East Asia Network on Forest Tradition and Culture

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农村调研

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中国生态脆弱带综合社区发展模式

Version ：天、人、地和谐美满，生产、生活与自然浑为一体（可视的两型社区）

核心目标： 重塑市场化、全球化背景下的农村社区结构 分合互补的自然资源利用 和管理系统景观和人 - 生态系统

概念下生物多样性、草原和水保护 低碳社区（零排放社区） 学习型社区

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Thanks ！