New United Nations initiative recognizes Boreal's global
importance
OTTAWA, (February 1, 2010) - Traditional
knowledge held by Canada's Aboriginal people about the Boreal
Forest offers western scientists a vitally important information
source, according to a report published by the David Suzuki
Foundation, the Canadian Boreal Initiative, and the Boreal Songbird
Initiative. With the Boreal Forest facing increasing threats from
climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, and invasive
species, this knowledge is more important than ever.
The report, Conservation Value of the North American Boreal
Forest from an Ethnobotanical Perspective, describes the deep
botanical and ecological knowledge that Canada's Aboriginal peoples
have gained over thousands of years of using the Boreal Forest as
grocery, pharmacy, school, and spiritual centre. The report notes
that the value of the Canada's Boreal Forest to Aboriginal people
in terms of subsistence (plant and animal) foods alone could reach
up to $575.1 million. Many other values have yet to be
quantified.
"The deeply rooted knowledge of indigenous
communities remains an essential but often overlooked element in
conservation planning," said Larry Innes, executive director of
CBI. "This report contributes to building a better awareness among
Canadians about the richness and diversity of plant use and
knowledge among indigenous peoples."
The report illustrates how scientists and policymakers often
overlook ecological issues until a crisis arises. For example,
although few plants species in the boreal region are classified as
threatened or endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act or
provincial and territorial species legislation, many face
widespread human-induced pressures, including habitat loss and
climate change.
According to respected Canadian scientist and environmentalist
David Suzuki: "Harvesting, processing, and selling wild plants such
as blueberries from the Boreal Forest offers sustenance and profit
to many northern communities in Canada. Industrial activities
undertaken without the prior involvement or consent of indigenous
people can harm important species that sustain community health and
wellbeing."
Environmental studies professor Nancy Turner, of the University
of Victoria in British Columbia, agrees: "This report acknowledges
that we must not overlook the close interrelationships between
indigenous peoples and their lands. Scientists must consider their
critical importance as keepers of traditional ecological
knowledge."
The report
follows a recent study by the UN Secretariat for the Convention on
Biodiversity (CBD) that emphasizes the critical importance of
forest biodiversity in preserving the planet's overall health.
"If climate change is a problem, biodiversity is part of the
solution," said Ahmed Djoghlaf, the UN's executive secretary of the
Convention on Biological Diversity. "Canada's Boreal Forest plays a
critical role. Indigenous peoples have long known that maintaining
and restoring biodiversity in forests promotes their resilience to
human-induced pressures. Now, more than ever, this is an essential
insurance policy to safeguard against climate-change impacts and to
protect biodiversity for the benefit of present and future
generation. The report issued today is a major contribution to the
celebration of the 2010 International Year on Biodiversity."
The new report also suggests much more indigenous mapping of the
Boreal Forest has taken place than previously understood.
Scientific information has been encoded in indigenous peoples'
languages and is passed on through various stories and place names.
For example, the Gwich'in identified "black currant island" in the
Husky River area, as well as a hill along the Arctic Red River
whose name translates into "rosehips ripened by the sun". The
Dogrib call Mesa Lake in the Northwest Territories, Gots'okati,
which translates to Cloudberry Lake.
Full Report:
www.borealbirds.org/resources/report-ethnobotany.pdf