Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 2001 Indigenous Knowledge and Development
Monitor, July 2001
Contents IK Monitor (9-2) | IKDM Homepage | Suggestions to: ikdm@nuffic.nl | © copyright Nuffic-CIRAN and contributors 2001.
Calls
Indigenous wetland management
The Wetlands and Natural Resource Research Group (WeNReG) at the University of Huddersfield, United Kingdom, has recently been involved in an EU-funded, three-year research project in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Wetlands Research Programme (EWRP) aimed to explore the potential for sustainable management of wetlands in Illubabor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. A key component of this study was to identify the specific contribution of local communities and their indigenous knowledge to sustainable wetland management. During the three-year period a participatory research programme, involving rural communities from wetlands under different land uses, was undertaken to establish how wetlands are managed, the indigenous knowledge (IK) on which management strategies are based and the mechanisms through which indigenous wetland knowledge is acquired and disseminated.
A key finding of the research has been the recognition that rural communities in Illubabor Zone have extensive knowledge of wetland environmental processes and wetland management practices and technologies. In many cases, the application and evolution of this knowledge has resulted in wetland management that appears to be environmentally sustainable. At the same time, however, there are indications that the evolution and application of IK is restricted by current socioeconomic and political factors, in that many individuals have neither the time nor resources to make adaptive responses to environmental changes which affect their wetland management system.
WeNReG is hoping to carry out more detailed research on the role of IK in wetland management, widening its scope to other parts of East and Southern Africa. It is keen to establish contact and share its experiences with any organization or individuals who have similar experiences or who have an interest in indigenous wetland management.
For more information, please contact: Dr Alan Dixon, Wetland and
Natural Resources Research Group, Division of Geographical Sciences, The
University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 1484 473 010.
Fax: +44 1484 472 347.
E-mail: a.b.dixon@hud.ac.uk
Information on WeNReG research is available on http://wetlands.hud.ac.uk
Indigenous forms of resource management
Michael Musa, a PhD student in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, is studying indigenous forms of resource management (IFORM) among selected rural communities in Nigeria for the purposes of participatory development in poverty alleviation. He is interested in papers, case studies, articles, projects and networks relating to his study.
For more information contact:
Michael W. Musa, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology,
Ahmadu Bello University, PMB 1044, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
E-mail: mikemusa@usa.net
Private grants for field research in the social sciences
Earthwatch Institute is a non-profit organization that sponsors academic field research in the biological, physical, social and cultural sciences. To date, Earthwatch has supported over 1,000 field research projects in 118 countries, contributing over USD 37 million in research grants through the use of 50,000 volunteers from all backgrounds.
The Center for Field Research (CFR) is an affiliate organization that develops and recommends programmes for Earthwatch support. CFR will consider proposals for field research in any discipline that can substantively involve non-specialists in the implementation of a carefully constructed pure or applied research project. CFR encourages proposals that are interdisciplinary and/or transnational. Professionals of any nationality are eligible to apply for work in any geographical region. One of the study fields covers indigenous and local knowledge and its application in achieving sustainable development.
Grants average USD 20,000 per year and projects receive an average of 3 years of support. A typical project would employ 4 to 8 volunteers each on 3 to 5 sequential teams. Teams normally spend two weeks in the field, though shorter and longer times are encouraged where appropriate. Research should utilize at least 20 volunteers over the course of a field season, as the level of financial support is tied directly to the number of volunteer participants.
Preliminary proposals should be submitted at least 12 months in advance of anticipated field dates. Full proposals are invited and peer-reviewed. Proposals are accepted all year round.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Moises Leon, program director for Social Sciences
Earthwatch Institute, The Center for Field Research,
3 Clock Tower Place, P.O. Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754, USA
Tel.: +1 978 461 0081
Fax: +1 978 461 2332
E-mail: mleon@earthwatch.org
Website: http://www.earthwatch.org/cfr
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