Across the globe, the traditional ecological knowledge of pastoral communities has played a crucial role in conserving pasture lands over generations through their participation in environmental monitoring decision-making through traditional adaptive practice, a pillar of pasture management. This knowledge is integral to a biocultural complex that integrates, among other things, resource exploitation and governance practices, social interactions, religious rituals and spirituality, food, language, music, crafts, and attire of the communities.
Pastoralists in many different parts of the world, nevertheless, face similar challenges ranging from encroachment on grazing land by agriculture to lack of access to grazing and water resources in the guise of environmental protection. This issue stems from the way the role of traditional ecological knowledge of the herders has been largely ignored by scientific experts.
There have been many initiatives to bridge this gap between traditional and scientific knowledge and practice, resulting in a much-needed process aimed at genuine knowledge co-production in biocultural conservation. This workshop aims to examine these experiences of working with pastoralists in different regions, and the challenges and opportunities involved in the process of knowledge co-production.
11:00 - 11:15 Introduction & Opening Remarks
11:15 - 12:15 Herders' Traditional Knowledge of the Pasture, Livestock, and Bells
Molnár, Zsolt, Ethnoecologist and Barta, Sándor, Traditional herder
12:15 - 13:00 Lunch Break
13:00 - 13:45 Farming Resilience: Deciding What is “Just Enough” in the Face of Uncertainty. Stories from the Austrian Alps.
L. Jamila Haider, Researcher, Stockholm Resilience Centre
13:45 - 14:30 Traditional Knowledge of Mongolian Herders on Plants, Landscape, and Land Use
Gantuya Batdelger, PH.D Candidate, EÖTVÖS LORÁND University
14:30 - 15:00 Coffee Break
15:00 - 15:45 Sheepherding & Local Wool Cultures of India: The Decline and Revival
Sushma Iyengar, Social Activist. Lead Curator, 'Living Lightly - Journeys with Pastoralists' Exhibition
15:45 - 16:30 Guest Speaker: Fikret Berkes (TBC)
Professor Emeritus, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba
16:30 - 17:15 Discussion - Q&A
17:15 - 17:30 Concluding Remarks