202401/11
The Chinese edition of Sacred Ecology, a work that has been recognized as a bible in the ecology field, was officially launched in Taiwan by Locus Publishing under the joint efforts of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (FANCA) and the Taiwan Society for the Commons Governance. Sacred Ecology is a discussion on how the traditional ecological wisdom of indigenous peoples is applicable across geographical boundaries, the people, and the environment. Based on the research results and related discussions of Canadian Prof. Fikret Berkes, the book uses case studies that are easily understood by the general public to guide readers and explore the relationship between indigenous people and the environment based on academic research.
Lin Hwa-Ching, Director General of the FANCA said that ecological commons governance is not a top-down unilateral authoritarian command or control by the government. The relationship of the various involved sectors with the environment is just like dancing tango, all sectors should work together to achieve a dynamic balance in environmental governance. This is also an important concept described by Prof. Berkes in Sacred Ecology. The translation costs of Sacred Ecology were funded by the FANCA. It is a work on ecology that the FANCA and the Taiwan Society for the Commons Governance have jointly introduced to the public, and it is also the theoretical cornerstone of the FANCA’s efforts to preserve the traditional ecological wisdom of indigenous peoples. The author, Prof. Berkes, is an internationally renowned expert in community resource governance. In 2017, with the assistance and recommendation of Professor Lin Yih-Ren of the Taipei National University of the Arts, Prof. Berkes and FANCA personnel conducted an on-site field workshop within traditional Rukai territory, where they held in-depth exchanges on indigenous co-management of natural resources. In recent years, the FANCA has been using Prof. Berkes’ theories as the basis for its dialogs with indigenous peoples by incorporating natural resource management and the traditional culture of indigenous peoples. The two sides have gradually built up mutual trust and made attempts to work together. A model of cooperation for the co-management of natural resources has already been initiated with certain indigenous groups and tribal communities. Through the strategies of “establishing a co-management mechanism,” “restoring the right to natural resources,” “diversified green forest industry,” and “protecting and restoring natural resources,” the traditional use of forest products and wildlife by indigenous peoples has been de-criminalized, enabling them to pass on their cultures. Furthermore, by combining the natural resources of national forests, developing tribal eco-tourism, promoting the under-forest economy, patrolling the forests together with tribal communities, and seeking ways to co-manage the resources through equal dialogs, the FANCA will work together to move towards the core value of “sustainable forests,” which is shared with indigenous people. This is in line with the international declarations and goals of the Convention on Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. It also aligns with the concepts in Sacred Ecology advocated by Prof. Berkes, which include handling the relationship between people, land, and nature in a holistic, ethical, respectful, and humane manner, in order to fulfill our stewardship responsibility.
Lin Hwa-Ching said that Ken Chih You, a Saisiyat elder from Nanzhuang Township, Miaoli, once told him, “Grandfather said that animals and plants are not the only things that live in the forest, but that every living thing in the forest, every blade of grass, every tree, every boulder on the side of the mountain, and every stream and river, all depend on each other. Even the dead trees that fall over are trying their best to show their value in life, and that their lives do not end until they have turned into dust.” The traditional ecological wisdom of indigenous people has redefined the relationship between man and nature, and this new ecological ethics are gradually being emphasized by international experts in ecological governance, as such ethics are also closely related to biodiversity. From observing the number of insects in the forest, the Saisiyat people of Nanzhuang realized the limitations of the environment, thus restricted the production scale of under-forest beekeeping, which is a concrete demonstration of the ecological ethics that Taiwan’s indigenous tribes are practicing. In 2018, the FANCA established a partnership with the Saisiyat people of Nanzhuang, Miaoli, starting with the development of under-forest beekeeping for the tribal communities, gradually expanding to include the growing of log-cultivated shiitake mushrooms, and rearing of indigenous chicken breeds. It later diversified into eco-tourism and assisting in forest patrols and forest plantation management. This cooperation has allowed tribal community members to return to the traditional mountain forests that they are familiar with but were separated from for many years. In addition to the revival of the traditional rite of passage after a 54-year hiatus, tribal people have also gained stable job opportunities through the cooperation with the FANCA in co-management of the mountain forests. This has enabled tribal members, who were forced to become poachers or illegal loggers to eke out a living, to become forest guardians on the front line of protecting the forests within their traditional territories. The government has also been able to alleviate the manpower constraints when it comes to patrolling the land in its jurisdiction due to the large areas that constitute national forests. We are glad to see that the concept of sustainable resource management as described in Prof. Berkes’ book has already begun in the forests managed by the FANCA, and that we will be able to gradually build up ethical practices for the subtropical environmental unique to Taiwan in the future. It is also hoped that Taiwan’s experience will be used as a reference case study in future versions of Sacred Ecology.
For those interested in Sacred Ecology, please visit the Government Books Store (address: No. 209, Songjiang Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City; telephone: 02-25180207) or Wu Nan Books (address: No. 6, Zhongshan Road, Central District, Taichung City; telephone: 04-22260330) or visit the Wunan Bookstore's website to place your order.