Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration
Ecologists have long recognized that some species, by virtue of the key roles they play in the overall structure and functioning of an ecosystem, are essential to its integrity; these are known as keystone species. Similarly, in human cultures everywhere, there are plants and animals that form the c...
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2004
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00669-090301 https://doaj.org/article/d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c 2023-05-15T16:15:55+02:00 Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration Ann Garibaldi Nancy Turner 2004-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00669-090301 https://doaj.org/article/d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c EN eng Resilience Alliance http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss3/art1/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-00669-090301 https://doaj.org/article/d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c Ecology and Society, Vol 9, Iss 3, p 1 (2004) Porphyra abbottiae Sagittaria spp Thuja plicata British Columbia First Nations cultural keystone species ecological restoration traditional ecological knowledge Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2004 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00669-090301 2022-12-31T13:13:10Z Ecologists have long recognized that some species, by virtue of the key roles they play in the overall structure and functioning of an ecosystem, are essential to its integrity; these are known as keystone species. Similarly, in human cultures everywhere, there are plants and animals that form the contextual underpinnings of a culture, as reflected in their fundamental roles in diet, as materials, or in medicine. In addition, these species often feature prominently in the language, ceremonies, and narratives of native peoples and can be considered cultural icons. Without these "cultural keystone species," the societies they support would be completely different. An obvious example is western red-cedar (Thuja plicata) for Northwest Coast cultures of North America. Often prominent elements of local ecosystems, cultural keystone species may be used and harvested in large quantities and intensively managed for quality and productivity. Given that biological conservation and ecological restoration embody human cultures as crucial components, one approach that may improve success in overall conservation or restoration efforts is to recognize and focus on cultural keystone species. In this paper, we explore the concept of cultural keystone species, describe similarities to and differences from ecological keystone species, present examples from First Nations cultures of British Columbia, and discuss the application of this concept in ecological restoration and conservation initiatives. Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Ecology and Society 9 3 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Porphyra abbottiae Sagittaria spp Thuja plicata British Columbia First Nations cultural keystone species ecological restoration traditional ecological knowledge Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Porphyra abbottiae Sagittaria spp Thuja plicata British Columbia First Nations cultural keystone species ecological restoration traditional ecological knowledge Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 Ann Garibaldi Nancy Turner Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
topic_facet |
Porphyra abbottiae Sagittaria spp Thuja plicata British Columbia First Nations cultural keystone species ecological restoration traditional ecological knowledge Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Ecologists have long recognized that some species, by virtue of the key roles they play in the overall structure and functioning of an ecosystem, are essential to its integrity; these are known as keystone species. Similarly, in human cultures everywhere, there are plants and animals that form the contextual underpinnings of a culture, as reflected in their fundamental roles in diet, as materials, or in medicine. In addition, these species often feature prominently in the language, ceremonies, and narratives of native peoples and can be considered cultural icons. Without these "cultural keystone species," the societies they support would be completely different. An obvious example is western red-cedar (Thuja plicata) for Northwest Coast cultures of North America. Often prominent elements of local ecosystems, cultural keystone species may be used and harvested in large quantities and intensively managed for quality and productivity. Given that biological conservation and ecological restoration embody human cultures as crucial components, one approach that may improve success in overall conservation or restoration efforts is to recognize and focus on cultural keystone species. In this paper, we explore the concept of cultural keystone species, describe similarities to and differences from ecological keystone species, present examples from First Nations cultures of British Columbia, and discuss the application of this concept in ecological restoration and conservation initiatives. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ann Garibaldi Nancy Turner |
author_facet |
Ann Garibaldi Nancy Turner |
author_sort |
Ann Garibaldi |
title |
Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
title_short |
Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
title_full |
Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
title_fullStr |
Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cultural Keystone Species: Implications for Ecological Conservation and Restoration |
title_sort |
cultural keystone species: implications for ecological conservation and restoration |
publisher |
Resilience Alliance |
publishDate |
2004 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00669-090301 https://doaj.org/article/d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Ecology and Society, Vol 9, Iss 3, p 1 (2004) |
op_relation |
http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss3/art1/ https://doaj.org/toc/1708-3087 1708-3087 doi:10.5751/ES-00669-090301 https://doaj.org/article/d7b7acfe95554d9283e01d1f89faf23c |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00669-090301 |
container_title |
Ecology and Society |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
3 |
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1766001789536043008 |