The Challenge of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
The effort to
harmonize between traditional and modern knowledge in ecological perspective is
challenging. This attempt not only needs
looking after the tradition which is
almost in contrast with modernity in the principal
idea but also try to take advantage of modern science and technology for managing
tradition, even natural ecosystem. The level of traditional ecological
knowledge was identified through four
aspects of culture, local knowledge of land/animals, land and resource
management system, social institution and world view (Fikret Berkres at all., 2000, p.1257). Those aspects are related each other as a comprehensive society, even sometime in the certain
cases precisely compete and resulting the changing worldview of life. One
influential aspect is the role of modern communication as the effect of globalization that informs people how to be moderate in ‘imaging’
better life, indeed it is only about the advertisement.
Fikret Berkes
emphasize world view as an essential component of social mechanism. They wrote
“world view or cosmology include basic belief pertaining to religion and ethics and structures observations that produce
knowledge and understanding. It rounds out the knowledge-practice-belief
complex that describes traditional
knowledge” (Fikret Berkes at all., 2000,
p.1258). However, even people aware that tradition and natural environment are
important, but they still insist that modernization is more important because
it can increase their economic needs. For that, many people move from village
to the bigger city, expanding land for industries. In another hand, the most influential technology for changing worldview
is television. Moreover, the internet is
now easier to be accessed even in a rural
area by phone. So, how to manage
cultural internalization to preserve natural environment by traditional
ecological knowledge as a worldview,
especially in the context of many obstacles from modernizations and
globalization process?
another challenge is forest
problem, mainly in Indonesia also that told in the paper of Traditional Forest-Related Knowledge:
Sustaining Communities, Ecosystems and Biocultural Diversity, “particular
concern is the major threat to traditional forest-related knowledge in the
region posed by the sustained drive to replace shifting cultivation by
permanent commercial agriculture (especially oil palm), accompanied by efforts
to deprive the forest dwellers and forest-dependent communities of their
decision-making rights” (Lim Hin Fui, at all., 2012, p. 376). In this case, the
writers clearly comment about deforestation and depletion of forest resources
that erode traditional knowledge of Indonesia. Sirait added that “oil palm
plantation development has already resulted in detachment of indigenous peoples
from their customs and cultures because of individualization of ancestral
lands, descendant group lands, and household lands. The land conversion process
also creates conflict that damage community solidarity and local institutions”
(Sirait 2009).
So, how to grow an appreciation of
forest-dependent communities that rely on traditional knowledge and skills to
protect forests? In another hand, the
change and use other resources also more expensive for people. For example, it
is more difficult to convert from using
of oil palm to butter or coconut oil, only for rich people can do, but not
ordinary even poor people. It is also about people habit that oil palm is used.
How to make ‘conversion’ easy and solve
the problem of the environment but also in the difficult economic situation?
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