Applied research in ethnoecology: Fieldwork experiences

Abstract

Ethnoecology studies human beings’ relation with their environment aiming at understanding several current social-ecological problems such as ecological degradation and loss of cultural diversity, mainly from a local point of view. Since 2006, the research team of the Ethnoecology Laboratory (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) is conducting research projects focused on the study of social, cultural, political, and ecological factors and dynamics influencing the relation of rural and indigenous communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, with their surrounding environment. Contrary to the common practice of simply extracting information from rural communities, projects from the Ethnoecology Laboratory blend academic research and actions oriented to return their findings to the populations where they take place to contribute in some direct or indirect way to the improvement of their well-being and sustainable use of natural resources

Keywords

• Ethnoecology
• cooperation
• action-research
• dissemination
• education
• outreach