To Know Them is to Love Them

Abstract

I connect the theoretical emphasis that motivated the cognitive ethnobiology of the 1960s and early 1970s with the contemporary emphasis on promoting ethnobiology as contributing to biodiversity conservation. I use the words of a popular song to highlight the necessary, if problematic, links between knowing nature – the focus of cognitive ethnobiology, loving nature, and acting to conserve nature. I argue that a highly elaborated knowledge of the living things in one's local environment is characteristic of Indigenous and other deeply rooted communities, which are dependent on sustainable harvests of local natural resources. Furthermore, this extensive knowledge goes hand in hand with a deep emotional engagement with those species (“love”), which is in turn powerful motivation to treat those species with respect, absent dominance of profit motives. I suggest in conclusion that ethnobiology may best contribute to biodiversity conservation by documenting the detailed knowledge of and cultural appreciation for biodiversity evident in such rooted communities – an effort that has defined the ethnobiological project for over the past half century. The wider community of activists dedicated to biodiversity conservation may thus better know and thus appreciate – respect, if not “love” – those who live with and depend for their livelihood on this biodiversity.

Philosophy of Ethnobiology: Understanding Knowledge Integration and Its Limitations

“…Global challenges, such as climate change (Wolverton et al 2014b), defor-Journal of Ethnobiology 2020 40(1): 3-20 ence returns to what Agrawal (1995) has famously criticized as the "divide between Indigenous and scientific knowledge" that creates not only artificial boundaries but can also contribute to marginalizing traditional knowledge in policy and practice through the assumption of insurmountable differences (Hunn 2014).…”

Dilemmas of Representation in Contemporary Environmental Anthropology: Documenting Dynamite Fishing in Southeastern Tanzania

“…I situate my own vision of a Geertzian (1973) model of environmental anthropology within the broader "umbrella" of ethnobiological scholarship (Wolverton 2013:21). While ethnobiology addresses, in a general sense, the relationships between people and their environments across space and time, Wyndham et al (2011) also envision the field as a "creative place," where diverse scholars can intellectually congregate to discuss issues of significant social and ecological concern (Wyndham et al 2011:111; see also Hunn 2014). In a contemporary setting, Ethnobiology 5 has become a forum for scholarly debate, criticism, and creativity (Nabhan et al 2011).…”

“…While ethnobiology is multidisciplinary and diverse, one of its unifying tenets is its emphasis on ethics (Gilmore and Eshbaugh 2011; Hardison and Bannister 2011). It is a field that demands reflexive attention to how various agents are involved in acquiring and mobilizing environmental Perspectives knowledge (Hunn 2014). If there exists an "ethnobiological perspective," it is one that is thoughtful and situated (Wolverton et al 2014:125).…”

Introduction

“…As the relationship between people and plants is undermined-through decreasing personal experience and correspondingly through the loss of knowledge of their forms, their uses, and their names-so too is lost a sense of connection and appreciation of the fundamental place they hold in sustaining both ecological and social worlds (Carlson and Maffi 2004;Hitchings and Jones 2004;Hunn 2014). As Gagliano asks, "How can any society recognize that plant conservation is one of humanity's most crucial issues, when it literally cannot 'see' plants?…”