Forests & Oceans for the Future Discussion and News

Hi everyone,
here’s my abstract– would love to see you and get your feedback

The role of children’s lived experience in changing human ecologies of the Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico

I present an ethnographic perspective of children as important actors in the ecological processes of landscape use, landscape management, and landscape interpretation over time. I argue that children’s ecological practice and knowledge construction represent a central locus for change and continuity in complex human ecosystems. I report here on a study of Rarámuri children’s perceptions of and interactions with their local landscapes, discussed in the context of their elders’ recollections of ecological learning and Rarámuri epistemologies. I discuss livestock caretaking, map-making, play, family networks and spiritual practices as sites for learning ecological principles and Rarámuri environmental practices in rapidly changing political and biological landscapes. I explore how human ecosystem perspectives can inform and be informed by historical ecology—particularly, in the contributions of social-political events, contexts and continuities to landscapes, and in applying sophisticated understandings of social and biophysical interactions through time. This research contributes to a larger goal of developing ecological, interactionist models linking individual learning, landscapes, and community processes of change.

Representatives of the major regional fishermen’s associations met in Vancouver last week (February 7-9, 2006) to discuss and debate the key issues in today’s commercial fishing industry. The members of the Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters represent organizations in all of Canada’s major fisheries stretching from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia (see member list here). In British Columbia the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, The Native Brotherhood of BC, and the Area G Trollers association make up the membership.

The key issues that emerged over the course of three days of discussions are: (1) concerns with training and professionalization for commercial fishers; (2) the intergenerational transfer of fishing enterprises, and; (3) the importance of owner-operator and fleet separation provisions. Training and Certification
Given that the bulk of the $1.5 million annual budget provided by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is to fund training programmes and related skills development research and program development the concern with training makes a lot of sense. The entire first day of the meetings was a dedicated human resources development conference technically separate from the tri-annual general assembly that followed. Key concerns regarding training focus on the establishment of certification boards who’s objectives are to include the training of fishermen in basic safety and seamanship leading to a series of certificates marking fishing knowledge and seamanship up to and including Fishing Master’s tickets. At present the only existing formal certification boards are in eastern Canada.

Intergenerational Transfer
The rising capitalization of fishing enterprises is widely recognized as causing difficulties for new entrants and younger fishermen to gain a foothold in today’s commercial fisheries. Fishermen from east and west coasts alike spoke of the problems that the increasing values of fishing license cause for younger fishermen. In British Columbia, for example, a fisherman who might wish to enter the salmon seine fishery would require at least 1.5 million dollars for boat, gear, and a single area license. Given that current average fishing income for crew members is about $20,000 the 1.5 million price tag is beyond the reach of most fishers without some form of financial support from family, government, or industry. One of the solutions put forward during the assembly was to establish a federal loan program for new entrants. Another solution, one that wasn’t presented to the assembly, would be to force down the price of licenses through regulatory or legislative action.

Owner Operator Provisions
The assembly strongly supported the introduction and maintenance of owner-operator provisions throughout Canada’s fisheries on both coasts. Since 1979 such a provision has existed in the Maritimes. However, BC’s fisheries has been since it’s earliest days a corporate structure with a relatively weak independent sector. The independent fleet has varied in strength over time from the early days when all vessels and fishing licenses where controlled by major corporations, through the post world war 2 period where the independent fleet saw it’s biggest growth, to today’s fleet where vessel ownership may be independent but control over licenses is very much in the hands of the largest companies. Many of the fishermen at the general assembly believed that introducing owner-operator provisions would result in a more equitable fishery and also drive down the cost of licenses thereby making it easier for younger fishermen to enter the fishery.

You are invited to participate in the inaugural session of the Forests and Oceans for the Future seminar series sponsored by Forests and Oceans for the Future Research Group.

Starting with a presentation by Dennis Brown, former union leader and special advisor to the Premier’s office, this seminar series will feature researchers, practitioners and environmental activists speaking on issues related to the long term health and sustainability of our natural resource economy.

Winter term 2006 seminars will be held monthly on the third or fourth Wednesday evening of the month (check schedule for details).Seminar 1: Dennis Brown. “Clouding the issue: the shift to weak stock management in the BC fisheries.”

Wednesday, January 18. 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Room 205 AnSo Building (6303 NW Marine Drive. Parking available in the Rose Garden Parkade)

Dennis Brown is the author of The Salmon Wars: the Battle for the West Coast Salmon Fishery.” Dennis is a former United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union leader and special advisor to the Premier’s office (1996-2001). He will speak about changes in management policy in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the implications that these changes have had for commercial fishermen in BC. See also the review of Dennis’ book on The Tyee

Seminar 2: Dr. Felice Wyndham (UBC). “The role of children’s lived experience in changing human ecologies of the Sierra Tarahumara, Mexico.”
Wednesday, February 22. 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Room 205 AnSo Building (6303 NW Marine Drive. Parking available in the Rose Garden Parkade).
ABSTRACT: Wyndham presents an ethnographic perspective of children as important actors in the ecological processes of landscape use, landscape management, and landscape interpretation over time. She argues that children’s ecological practice and knowledge construction represent a central locus for change and continuity in complex human ecosystems. In this presentation she repors on a study of Rarámuri children’s perceptions of and interactions with their local landscapes, discussed in the context of their elders’ recollections of ecological learning and Rarámuri epistemologies. Wyndham explores how human ecosystem perspectives can inform and be informed by historical ecology—particularly, in the contributions of social-political events, contexts and continuities to landscapes, and in applying sophisticated understandings of social and biophysical interactions through time. This research contributes to a larger goal of developing ecological, interactionist models linking individual learning, landscapes, and community processes of change.

Seminar 3: Dr. Ian Davidson-Hunt. (U. Manitoba) “Mobilizing knowledge for community-based resource management”
Wednesday, March 22. 7:30 – 9:00 pm, Room 205 AnSo Building (6303 NW Marine Drive. Parking available in the Rose garden Parkade).
ABSTRACT: The knowledge held by local communities has often been seen as an input for others to generate solutions for poverty reduction and biodiversity conservation. However, communities are increasingly asserting that their knowledge is the substrate out of which solutions can emerge. This is consistent with an approach to community-based planning that begins from Friedman’s assertion that planning is the art of turning knowledge into action. Many community-based resource management initiatives begin with a process that brings people from within the community together to document what they know about their place. This information may be shared orally or as in many cases it is recorded through community mapping projects. Such community inventories allow people to recognize and affirm the things they would like to conserve as well as identify new opportunities that they might pursue. While local knowledge and community-based planning are the core of these initiatives many have also partnered with external technical and/or research organizations to provide them with access to new information that they can consider as they pursue their initiatives. This presentation will draw upon community-based resource management initiatives that have been undertaken through the Equator Initiative and with the Whitefeather Forest Initiative.

Additional information on the Forests and Oceans for the Future research group can be found on our web page.