Editorial: Ethnoforestry and its link to socio-ecological changes

Pieroni, Andrea and Sõukand, Renata (2024) Editorial: Ethnoforestry and its link to socio-ecological changes. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, 7.

Text (Research Article) ffgc-07-1362023.pdf Download (76kB)

Abstract

Forestry science has thus far mainly viewed forests as arenas whose management must be optimized for ecological services (sustainable exploitation of timber or NTFPs—non-timber forest products, particularly berries and mushrooms) or as pristine spaces to be strictly protected, often isolating them from human interactions. Forestry studies have rarely addressed sociocultural dimensions, i.e., the interactions between forestry systems and human communities, such as forest use and perceptions, often, but not exclusively, captured in traditional/local ecological knowledge and practice (LEK) systems. Although LEK has been the focus of several studies conducted in the past few decades, those studies were primarily devoted to mere descriptions of folk uses and the management of forest environments and their products. These works have often envisioned the potential of LEK for local rural development programs; however, more information is still needed about how LEK systems and their changes are transmitted, especially how LEK copes with global and local socio-ecological changes. Even less has been done regarding the processes through which forestry LEK intersects with concrete projects, i.e., empowering local communities toward sustainable development of their local resources, exploring new strategies for the dynamic conservation of forests, and fostering inclusive platforms shared among local communities, institutions, and external stakeholders.

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