How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system

The ability to predict through causal understandingor statistical association is a key feature of scientific knowledge. However,the predictive power of traditionalecological knowledge in an observationalsetting is rarely critically evaluated. Weanalyze the results of an applied casestudy of indigeno...

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Authors: John Duncan Golicher; Samuel Israel Levy Tacher
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2004
Country:México
Institution:ECOSUR
Repository:Redalyc-ECOSUR
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:33909605
Online Access:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33909605
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Multidisciplinarias (Ciencias Sociales)
Lacandon
Restoration
Epistemology
Ochroma pyramidale
Soil Organic Matter
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author John Duncan Golicher
author2 Samuel Israel Levy Tacher
author2_role author
author_browse John Duncan Golicher
Samuel Israel Levy Tacher
author_facet John Duncan Golicher
Samuel Israel Levy Tacher
author_role author
collection Redalyc-ECOSUR
description The ability to predict through causal understandingor statistical association is a key feature of scientific knowledge. However,the predictive power of traditionalecological knowledge in an observationalsetting is rarely critically evaluated. Weanalyze the results of an applied casestudy of indigenous fallow management inthe context of its predictive power. In orderto do this we applied three contrastingstatistical analyses; visual pattern matching,general linear modelling and graphicalmodels. Our results suggest that a degreeof abduction or a posteriori explanationis typically needed in the analysis ofthe observations of natural phenomenathat indigenous people make. Despite this,contextually useful predictive power maybe extracted from such informationthrough a combination of experience, deductionand probabilistic induction. Thepresent case study suggested that the traditionalecological knowledge of theLacandon people could provide usefulguidance for the restoration of ecosystemfunction. In particular, the results supportthe use of Ochroma pyramidale as a soilenriching agent.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format article
id MX_f7dfd10ca4e1a5e87ca575b3f613e6a2
identifier_str_mv 0378-1844
institution ECOSUR
instname_str El Colegio de la Frontera Sur
network_acronym_str MX
network_name_str México
oai_identifier_str oai:redalyc.org:33909605
publishDate 2004
publishDateSort 2004
publisher Asociación Interciencia
publisherStr Asociación Interciencia
reponame_str Redalyc-ECOSUR
spelling How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system John Duncan Golicher Samuel Israel Levy Tacher Multidisciplinarias (Ciencias Sociales) Lacandon Restoration Epistemology Ochroma pyramidale Soil Organic Matter The ability to predict through causal understandingor statistical association is a key feature of scientific knowledge. However,the predictive power of traditionalecological knowledge in an observationalsetting is rarely critically evaluated. Weanalyze the results of an applied casestudy of indigenous fallow management inthe context of its predictive power. In orderto do this we applied three contrastingstatistical analyses; visual pattern matching,general linear modelling and graphicalmodels. Our results suggest that a degreeof abduction or a posteriori explanationis typically needed in the analysis ofthe observations of natural phenomenathat indigenous people make. Despite this,contextually useful predictive power maybe extracted from such informationthrough a combination of experience, deductionand probabilistic induction. Thepresent case study suggested that the traditionalecological knowledge of theLacandon people could provide usefulguidance for the restoration of ecosystemfunction. In particular, the results supportthe use of Ochroma pyramidale as a soilenriching agent. Asociación Interciencia 0378-1844 https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33909605
spellingShingle How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
John Duncan Golicher
Multidisciplinarias (Ciencias Sociales)
Lacandon
Restoration
Epistemology
Ochroma pyramidale
Soil Organic Matter
status_str publishedVersion
title How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
title_full How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
title_fullStr How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
title_full_unstemmed How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
title_short How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
title_sort How predictive is traditional ecological knowledge? the case of the lacandon maya fallow enrichment system
topic Multidisciplinarias (Ciencias Sociales)
Lacandon
Restoration
Epistemology
Ochroma pyramidale
Soil Organic Matter
topic_facet Multidisciplinarias (Ciencias Sociales)
Lacandon
Restoration
Epistemology
Ochroma pyramidale
Soil Organic Matter
url https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=33909605