The Lower Mackenzie sits within the jurisdiction of the Government of the Northwest Territories. The watershed is recognized internationally as an important area of ecological biodiversity. It is one of the largest deltas in North America and has been a focus of exploration and development for many decades. The Mackenzie Delta is home to many Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples who value the region and its resources according to a rich and diverse number of socio-economic, cultural, and ecological values. In addition to being an important area of subsistence, the channels of the lower Mackenzie Delta have always been important travel corridors for Indigenous peoples as well as explorers, whalers, trappers, missionaries, and those seeking to discover and extract natural gas resources. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans and later the Gwich'in Renewable Resources Parlee, B.P. 2 Board, Inuvialuit Fisheries Joint Management Committee, Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute as well as anthropologists, such as Milton Freeman, have documented many details about the aquatic ecosystem and its value to Inuvialuit and Gwich'in peoples. There is a greater number of documented and available sources of traditional knowledge associated with Gwich'in communities in comparison to those detailing Inuvialuit knowledge.
The Peace River Watershed is home to many Aboriginal peoples of the Treaty 8 region who have lived in the area since time immemorial. The Peace River and its tributaries have always been an important travel corridor for First Nations, Metis, and other settlers and was a foundation for subsistence fishing for many generations. The watershed has undergone significant change in recent decades as a result of resource development, including hydro-electric (e.g., WAC Bennett Dam), forestry, and petroleum industries. Although there is some documentation of the combined social and ecological changes, much local and traditional knowledge has not been documented. This report was developed for the Tracking Change… project with the aim of synthesizing existing documented local and traditional knowledge about social and ecological change in the Peace River Watershed. The identification, synthesis, and reporting on Traditional Knowledge for this region is complex, owning to the large number of Aboriginal groups who have documented historical and contemporary land and resource use and interest in the region, the absence of documented Traditional Knowledge research conducted, as well as the socio-economic and political inequities and tensions that exist between regional and provincial governments and many Aboriginal communities.
The question of whether or not traditional knowledge (TK) can be effectively covered under a singe umbrella is complex, consequently requiring a comprehensive assessment. In view of the government's commitment to a policy not only of protecting forms of TK but also of encouraging and protecting the commercialisation of certain forms of TK, the above question becomes even more complex.
Traditional Knowledge (TK) systems have always been integral to the survival and adaptation of human societies. Yet, they enjoy a fairly recent recognition and popularization by scientists, the media, politicians, corporates and the wider public. In this paper we present a typology of key driving forces behind the popularization of TK held by marginal communities: an equality preference motive, a value motive, a compliance motive, a scarcity motive and a strategic motive. Secondly, through the use of a simple model, we discuss the hype's impact on marginal communities. Moreover, we critically assess the outcome of a number of policy instruments that intend, in part, to protect traditional knowledge bases of such communities. Our analysis primarily draws upon secondary literature; policy documents and case studies within economics, the social sciences, conservation biology and legal studies. We argue that whilst the public and institutional hype around TK may have resulted in its prioritization within international conventions and frameworks, its institutionalization may have adversely impacted marginalized communities, and in particular contexts, unintentionally led to the creation of 'new' marginals. We purport that the traditional innovation incentive motive does not hold for protecting TK within a private property regime. Instead we identify a conservation incentive motive and a distribution motive that justify deriving policy instruments that focus on TK to protect marginal communities.
An obligation to consider traditional knowledge (TK) in planning, resource, and land management, particularly in Sami areas, has been formalized through the Nature Diversity Act. However, current Norwegian legislation and guidelines contain few clarifications of what TK is, how to approach it, or how to appropriately include such data in assessment and planning processes. The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research has incorporated TK about land and resource use in several impact assessments (IAs), building on a methodological approach applied for a number of review assignments for the Finnmark Commission. While the experiences from reviews for the Commission and IAs concerning Sami land and resource use may represent a step towards incorporating TK in Norwegian planning processes, the approach to documentation, methodology, and ethics in this field is open for debate. The same can be said of the formal frameworks for IA and the willingness to incorporate TK in planning programs, in general.(Published: 6 November 2015)Citation: E. Eyþo´rsson & A.E. Thuestad. ''Incorporating Traditional Knowledge in Environmental Impact Assessment – How Can It Be Done?.'' Arctic Review on Law and Politics, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2015, pp. 132–150. http://dx.doi.org/10.17585/arctic.v6.101
BACKGROUND: Traditional bamboo weaving has been practiced for centuries in Sansui, a county dominated by the Miao people, in Guizhou province of Southwest China. Sansui bamboo weaving represents an intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO, but, like many other traditional handicrafts in China, it has suffered a downfall in this period of rapid development. Sansui bamboo weaving is now experiencing a renaissance due to the joint efforts of the local government, bamboo weaving companies, and individual bamboo weavers. However, what bamboo species have supported the traditional bamboo weaving in Sansui keeps unknown up to now. The traditional knowledge and technology associated with bamboo weaving have not been reported. In addition, the resumption of the local bamboo industry may provide some valuable experiences for other downfallen traditional handicrafts or local communities. Thus, an ethnobotanical study on Sansui bamboo weaving has been carried out. METHODS: This study mainly used ethnobotanical methods, including key informant interviews and participatory observations. Different stakeholders were selected by applying the snowball method as our key informants including 6 officials, 37 bamboo weavers, and 17 bamboo and bamboo weaving product merchants. We also went into the local weavers' houses to visit the whole weaving process. The bamboo and dye plant species for bamboo weaving were identified by taxonomists and referring to online databases available. RESULTS: Based on field investigations, 17 bamboo species used for weaving were recorded. Different bamboo species were woven for different purposes based on their own characters. Phyllostachys heteroclada is the most popular species locally. Bamboo strips are usually dyed by using Platycarya strobilacea and Rubia cordifolia to be made for different images. In recent years, the size, functions, and materials of local bamboo weaving crafts as well as their market mode have been changed to adapt to new development trends and to cater to the market. In ...
Background Traditional bamboo weaving has been practiced for centuries in Sansui, a county dominated by the Miao people, in Guizhou province of Southwest China. Sansui bamboo weaving represents an intangible cultural heritage as defined by UNESCO, but, like many other traditional handicrafts in China, it has suffered a downfall in this period of rapid development. Sansui bamboo weaving is now experiencing a renaissance due to the joint efforts of the local government, bamboo weaving companies, and individual bamboo weavers. However, what bamboo species have supported the traditional bamboo weaving in Sansui keeps unknown up to now. The traditional knowledge and technology associated with bamboo weaving have not been reported. In addition, the resumption of the local bamboo industry may provide some valuable experiences for other downfallen traditional handicrafts or local communities. Thus, an ethnobotanical study on Sansui bamboo weaving has been carried out. Methods This study mainly used ethnobotanical methods, including key informant interviews and participatory observations. Different stakeholders were selected by applying the snowball method as our key informants including 6 officials, 37 bamboo weavers, and 17 bamboo and bamboo weaving product merchants. We also went into the local weavers' houses to visit the whole weaving process. The bamboo and dye plant species for bamboo weaving were identified by taxonomists and referring to online databases available. Results Based on field investigations, 17 bamboo species used for weaving were recorded. Different bamboo species were woven for different purposes based on their own characters. Phyllostachys heteroclada is the most popular species locally. Bamboo strips are usually dyed by using Platycarya strobilacea and Rubia cordifolia to be made for different images. In recent years, the size, functions, and materials of local bamboo weaving crafts as well as their market mode have been changed to adapt to new development trends and to cater to the market. In ...
This paper explores a particular experience of cultural bridging between the Heritage Department of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (TH) First Nation and academics and government funders taking part in the 2007–09 International Polar Year. The TH Heritage Department acted as lead researcher on the project entitled Documenting Traditional Knowledge in Relation to Climate Change. TH Heritage staff spearheaded and largely carried out the project work. Academic researchers, acting as contractors, collaborated in some project activities and produced academic papers summarizing the work. This collaboration provided a rare opportunity for the TH Heritage Department to share the research it has conducted for more than a decade in the broader, institutional context of university and government research. Its success highlights the fact that relationships between these partners are evolving and becoming more equitable: First Nations research is receiving more support, and the corpus of mainstream knowledge is changing, allowing different bodies of work to "count" as knowledge. This paper analyzes some of the differences between TH Heritage approaches to its mandate for gathering and sharing Traditional Knowledge (TK) and the understandings and uses of TK by other governments and by university-based academics. On the basis of project results and recent policy developments in northern governance and research, it makes practical recommendations for reconciling knowledge approaches and building mutually supportive research relationships between First Nations, academics, and government. ; Le présent article porte sur une expérience particulière relativement à l'établissement de liens entre le département du patrimoine de la Première Nation des Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (TH) et certains universitaires et bailleurs de fonds gouvernementaux qui ont participé à l'Année polaire internationale de 2007-2009. Le département du patrimoine de la Première Nation des TH a servi de chercheur principal dans le cadre du projet intitulé Documenting Traditional Knowledge in Relation to Climate Change. Le personnel du département du patrimoine a dirigé et effectué une grande partie du projet. Pour leur part, les chercheurs universitaires ont collaboré au projet à titre d'entrepreneurs à contrat, après quoi ils ont produit des articles pour résumer leur travail. Cette collaboration a procuré une rare occasion au département du patrimoine de la Première Nation des TH de faire part du fruit des recherches réalisées pendant plus d'une dizaine d'années dans le contexte institutionnel plus vaste de la recherche universitaire et gouvernementale. Le succès remporté par les recherches fait ressortir le fait que les relations entre ces partenaires évoluent et deviennent plus équitables. Ainsi, les recherches effectuées par les Premières nations reçoivent une plus grande reconnaissance, tandis que le corpus de connaissances grand public est en train de changer en ce sens qu'il permet à différents ensembles de connaissances de « compter » au nombre des connaissances. Cet article analyse certaines des différences qui existent entre la méthode adoptée par le département du patrimoine de la Première nation des TH en ce qui a trait à son mandat visant à recueillir et à partager les connaissances traditionnelles (CT) et les entendements et utilisations des connaissances traditionnelles par d'autres gouvernements et par les universitaires. À la lumière des résultats du projet et des récents développements sur le plan des politiques en matière de gouvernance et de recherche dans le Nord, l'article présente des recommandations pratiques en vue de la réconciliation des méthodes de recueil des connaissances et de l'établissement de relations de soutien mutuel entre les Premières Nations, les universitaires et les gouvernements.
Traditional Knowledge (TK) is well recognized for its contribution to climate change adaptation strategies and community-based natural resource conservation. In Morocco, traditional knowledge is now increasingly incorporated into natural product development derived from natural resources as policies advocate the creation of income generating activities via cooperatives; these initiatives ultimately seek to empower rural women economically and to lift them out of poverty. Focus groups, semi-structured interviews and in depth observation were conducted in six cooperatives in Rhamna province to examine the extent to which women's traditional knowledge is applied and whether it is recognized. Our study reveals that the women's traditional knowledge is readily integrated in the development of natural products, vital in product development, yet is not officially acknowledged by the employers and national legislation. With international organisations increasingly putting pressure on countries such as Morocco to integrate the Access to Benefit Sharing (ABS) and particularly article 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the challenge lies now in securing recognition of women's traditional knowledge involved in these activities.
Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, have diverse relationships with plants and their seeds. This cultural knowledge has been passed on through the generations, creating a deep history that has produced sophisticated fields of knowledge intimately linked to both diverse cultural geographies and the natural environment across the country. Western scientific, government and private sector commercial institutions have been collecting Australian plant material for over 200 years. Sometimes, such 'collectors' obtain the Indigenous knowledge simultaneously with the plant material. On occasions, the culturally-based Indigenous ownership of that knowledge is acknowledged by collectors. However in the majority of instances that has not been the case. Furthermore, different western institutions take different approaches to the collection, management and use of Australian plant material and associated Indigenous plant knowledge. A particular challenge in this arena is the lack of any shared understanding of Indigenous knowledge and intellectual property issues that are involved, and how those might best be addressed. But there is a gathering momentum, from diverse quarters, to face such challenges. This paper aims to contribute to consideration of the issues involved in order to promote more robust inclusion of Indigenous rights, interests and concerns.
Traditional knowledge is the result of innovation and creation of human beings both in terms of knowledge, art, and literature. Traditional knowledge can be utilized economically for the betterment and prosperity of society. The research method used is descriptive analytical with Juridical normative specification. Indonesia's Efforts in protecting intellectual property on traditional knowledge in Indonesia is the Indonesian government is preparing the Draft Law on Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expression. Other Efforts that can be done is through the way of inventory or documentation of traditional knowledge in a region and can be done by publishing the traditional knowledge as Widely as possible. The underlying factors of traditional knowledge have not been optimally utilized as economic resources namely the lack of public knowledge about the protection of traditional knowledge and the cost of producing intellectual property is high enough
The traditional protection systems of intellectual property demonstrate certain inaptitude when it comes to protecting patrimony and the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. Even if it is not meant to resolve the whole issue, the reflection about the sui generis protection systems becomes fundamental. This theme frequently collides with even greater difficulties represented by the ancestry of this patrimony and traditional knowledge, by the fact that it can eventually possess collective ownership and also by the diversity of its locations. Other difficulties relate to the sacred, confidential and even secretive aspects of a significant portion of such knowledge. This patrimony and knowledge are currently protected not only by international Declarations and Conventions, but also by internal legal devices, as it is the case of Brazil, which is the country that this research points its main focus to. Nonetheless, this research allows to ascertain that, although the debate, the legislation and the negotiation process is only beginning, in fact, it indicates the real perspectives of the use of classical instruments of protection of intellectual rights, on the one hand, as well as the use of sui generis systems, as it is currently taking place in certain countries, on the other. Clearly, it is essential to take into consideration the particularities of each situation, and that contracted agreements on the usage or access to such knowledge respond to specific ethical demands, always taking into account the vigilant participation of interested parties and the public bodies which must support complementary policies. ; Les systèmes traditionnels de protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle révèlent leurs insuffisances lorsqu'il s'agit de protéger le patrimoine et les savoirs traditionnels des peuples autochtones. Un système de protection sui generis s'avère nécessaire, sans pouvoir cependant tout résoudre. Il se heurte notamment à des difficultés majeures représentées par l'ancestralité de ce patrimoine et ...
The traditional protection systems of intellectual property demonstrate certain inaptitude when it comes to protecting patrimony and the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples. Even if it is not meant to resolve the whole issue, the reflection about the sui generis protection systems becomes fundamental. This theme frequently collides with even greater difficulties represented by the ancestry of this patrimony and traditional knowledge, by the fact that it can eventually possess collective ownership and also by the diversity of its locations. Other difficulties relate to the sacred, confidential and even secretive aspects of a significant portion of such knowledge. This patrimony and knowledge are currently protected not only by international Declarations and Conventions, but also by internal legal devices, as it is the case of Brazil, which is the country that this research points its main focus to. Nonetheless, this research allows to ascertain that, although the debate, the legislation and the negotiation process is only beginning, in fact, it indicates the real perspectives of the use of classical instruments of protection of intellectual rights, on the one hand, as well as the use of sui generis systems, as it is currently taking place in certain countries, on the other. Clearly, it is essential to take into consideration the particularities of each situation, and that contracted agreements on the usage or access to such knowledge respond to specific ethical demands, always taking into account the vigilant participation of interested parties and the public bodies which must support complementary policies. ; Les systèmes traditionnels de protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle révèlent leurs insuffisances lorsqu'il s'agit de protéger le patrimoine et les savoirs traditionnels des peuples autochtones. Un système de protection sui generis s'avère nécessaire, sans pouvoir cependant tout résoudre. Il se heurte notamment à des difficultés majeures représentées par l'ancestralité de ce patrimoine et ...
The article compares different models for knowledge production, all of which include traditional knowledge, as part of Norwegian and Finnish Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) research and management projects. Our hope is to contribute constructively to more socially robust knowledge production in Arctic environmental governance. Through investigating how traditional knowledge comes to matter at local, regional (national), and international levels in different Atlantic salmon research and governance projects in Norway and Finland, we examine the social robustness of different approaches to knowledge co-production. In general, the projects that seem to fulfill Arctic expectations of traditional knowledge co-production with science (projects with high legitimacy) seem to have the least impact on policy, and vice versa. We argue that expectations at the international policy level towards traditional knowledge integration with science are at times unrealistically high and hard to meet at local levels and in national policy contexts. We therefore argue for rethinking how a legitimate and policy-relevant knowledge co-production process should be conducted. Arctic policy levels, Norwegian and Finnish environmental authorities, and salmon conservation science could fruitfully draw lessons from the Näätämö co-management project, which is already referred to as an example of best practice in Arctic environmental governance. To achieve social robustness, projects need to balance scientific credibility with legitimacy among local and Indigenous rights holders. This balance might entail giving up on expectations of integrating traditional ecological knowledge with science and embracing the undefined spaces within Arctic and Indigenous knowledge production. ; Cet article compare différents modèles de production de connaissances émanant de projets norvégiens et finlandais de recherche et de gestion du saumon atlantique (Salmo salar). Tous les modèles incluent les connaissances traditionnelles. Nous espérons jouer un rôle constructif dans la production plus robuste de connaissances du point de vue social en matière de gouvernance environnementale dans l'Arctique. Nous avons fait des recherches pour déterminer l'importance des connaissances traditionnelles sur les scènes locale, régionale (nationale) et internationale dans le cadre de divers projets de gouvernance et de recherche sur le saumon atlantique en Norvège et en Finlande, après quoi nous nous sommes penchés sur la robustesse des différentes approches de coproduction de connaissances du point de vue social. En général, les projets qui semblent satisfaire aux attentes de l'Arctique en matière de coproduction de connaissances traditionnelles avec la science (les projets fortement légitimes) sont ceux qui semblent avoir le moins d'influence sur les politiques, et vice versa. Nous avançons que les attentes du point de vue des politiques internationales en matière d'intégration des connaissances traditionnelles aux connaissances scientifiques sont, parfois, très irréalistes et difficiles à atteindre à l'échelle locale de même que dans le contexte des politiques nationales. Par conséquent, nous soutenons qu'il y a lieu de réexaminer comment un processus de coproduction de connaissances légitime et adapté aux politiques pourrait se faire. Les organismes d'établissement des politiques dans l'Arctique, les autorités environnementales de la Norvège et de la Finlande de même que la science derrière la conservation du saumon pourraient tirer de bonnes leçons du projet de cogestion Näätämö, déjà considéré comme un exemple de pratique exemplaire en matière de gouvernance environnementale dans l'Arctique. Afin d'atteindre la robustesse sociale, les projets doivent équilibrer la crédibilité scientifique et la légitimité chez les détenteurs de droits ancestraux et locaux. Cet équilibre pourrait signifier la nécessité d'abandonner les attentes en matière d'intégration des connaissances écologiques traditionnelles aux connaissances scientifiques, et d'accepter les espaces indéfinis au sein de la production de connaissances propres à l'Arctique et aux indigènes.
There is limited protection of traditional knowledge in Australia with some legislative frameworks established at federal, state and territory levels. The partial protections established under these frameworks are fragmented across each jurisdiction providing opportunities for third parties to exploit these gaps and engage in misappropriation and exploitation of traditional knowledge. While Australia is yet to ratify the Nagoya Protocol, the Australian federal government is engaging in consultations to assess the operation of the intellectual property system with regards to traditional knowledge. In doing so, it is valuable to examine how foreign jurisdictions have approached the issue and to learn from their experience. This chapter examines what can be learnt from the experience of India and Peru in establishing their respective regimes for the protection of traditional knowledge with the objective of informing the design and implementation of a nationally consistent regime for the protection of traditional knowledge in Australia.
