Associative cultural landscape approach to interpreting traditional ecological wisdom:A case of Inuit habitat

Global climate change and the accelerated melting of glaciers have raised concerns about the ability to manage ice-snow environments.Historically,human ancestors have mastered the ecological wisdom of working with ice-snow environments,but the phenomenon has not yet been articulated in cultural landscape methodologies that emphasize“nature-culture relevance”.The challenging living environment often compels indigenous people to form a strong bond with their surroundings,leading to the creation of long-term ecological wisdom through synergistic relationships with the environment.This ecological environment is conceptualized as a cognitive space in the form of the landscape,with which the aboriginal community norms and individual spirits continually interact.Such interactions generate numerous non-material cultural evidences,such as culture,art,religion,and other ideological aspects of the nation.These evidences symbolize the intellectual outcome of the relationship between humans and the landscape,and they create the“spiritual relevance”through personification and contextualization.The aim of the study is to explore the traditional ecological wisdom of the Inuit people who live in the harsh Arctic,and analyze the Inuit’s interaction with the landscape through the lens of“associative cultural landscape”,and decode the survival experience that the Inuit have accumulated through their long-term synergy with the Arctic environment.The findings focus on the synergy between the Inuit and the ice-snow landscape,examining the knowledge and ecological wisdom that the Inuit acquire from the ice-snow landscape.Our goal is to develop a perspective of the ecological environment from the viewpoint of aboriginal people and establish a methodology,model,and framework for“associative cultural landscape”that incorporates ethnic non-material cultural evidences.From the results,a total of nine models for interpreting traditional Inuit ecological wisdom are generated based on the“diamond model”of“associative cultural landscape”,covering the transition from the physical landscape to a spiritual one and demonstrating the associative role of the landscape in stimulating potential spiritual cognitive abilities in humans.

Our mindset, our behavior and our future

To illustrate how the universality of climate change is exhibited in radically different specifics,Kalamazoo,Michigan’s“100-year flood plain”which has been flooded three or four times in the past several years is offered as an immediate example.The county’s general topography and very complex watersheds are described,noting the similarity between this microcosm and giant riparian systems.China’s enormous data collection and analysis system founded on a magnificent recursive feedback loop is described.The parallel structure of human cognition as an inherited psycho-biological recursive feedback loop as the structure of all human cognition and learning is described with reference to how infants actually learn their native language.A brief summary of the critical role of China’s“Three Teachings”(Confucianism,Daoism and Buddhism)in fostering adaptation to nature is proposed in contrast to the Western preference for manipulating nature to fit human comfort.Practicing traditional modes of“meditation”is urged as a pathway towards a brighter future for both humanity and the nature.Coopting specialists in publicizing and advertising is required to help change the human narrative.

Classification and detection of dominant factors in geospatial patterns of traditional settlements in China

The geospatial distribution pattern in traditional Chinese settlements(TCSs)reflects the traditional harmony between humans and nature,which has been learned over centuries.However,TCSs have experienced serious disturbances by urbanization and migration.It is crucial to explore the local wisdom of geospatial patterns and dominant factors for TCSs at the national scale in China.This study sought to determine the geospatial wisdom of traditional settlements to enrich our future settlement development with the aim of establishing Chinese settlement values for modern living.Herein,a dataset of 4000 TCSs were analyzed and clustered for environmental factors that affect their geospatial patterns by machine learning algorithms.We concluded that(1)five geospatial patterns of TCSs were clustered on a national scale,and the threshold of environmental factors of TCS groups was detected.(2)Environmental conditions and settlement concepts interacted and determined the similarities and differences among TCS groups.(3)The key boundary for TCSs and the dominant factors for each zone were determined,and topographical conditions and hydrologic resources played significant roles in all five TCS zones.This study provides a better understanding of the adaptability of the environment in relation to the TCSs and aids in planning TCS conservation and rural revitalization.

Novel ecosystems in the restoration of cultural landscapes of Tl’chés,West Chatham Island,British Columbia,Canada

Introduction:The small archipelago of Tl’chés,in coastal British Columbia,has gone through drastic social-ecological change culminating in the decline of traditional management practices,invasion of exotic plant species and,in the early 1960s,land abandonment.This is a common trend in cultural landscapes around the world.Cultural landscapes have great social-ecological significance,including cultural safeguarding and renewal,as well as maintenance of biodiversity,ecosystem functions and services,making them objects of special attention in conservation and restoration efforts.This study investigates the relationship between the Lekwungen people and heavily altered ecosystems in the context of ecological restoration for the cultural landscapes of Tl’chés.Methods:In order to thoroughly explore the ecological,social and cultural aspects and processes involved in the restoration of Tl’chés,this study combined different environmental sciences methodologies,including historical and archival research,semi-structured interviews and participatory observation with Lekwungen participants,as well as ecological field assessments and an innovative mapping approach termed Terrestrial Cultural Ecosystem Mapping(TCEM).Results:This study generated historical and spatial references for ecosystem and land use change in West Chatham Island,as well as cultural and ecological understandings to support restoration.Although important native species such as Camassia spp.are still thriving,present-day ecosystems on this island are heavily altered from the natural Garry oak ecosystem reference sites and are largely dominated by exotic invasive shrubs and graminoid species.This investigation indicates that the Lekwungen value both the historical ecological conditions of the island and particular types of the present-day novel or hybrid ecological states,such as the overgrown heritage orchard and nonnative berries found on the islands.Conclusions:Present-day ecosystems of Tl’chés are a result of a hybrid management system(traditional and conventional),coupled with land abandonment for many decades.Restoration of Tl’chés must involve both ecological and cultural components.Therefore,intervention strategies should consider the incorporation of novel and hybrid ecosystems(i.e.naturalized exotic species)into a restoration plan for ecological,cultural,historical,and subsistence values.