ESPM 169: October 16, 2002Knowledge Politics II: Local and Indigenous Knowledge and the CBD1. Logistics - assignment due - hand out: science in the Bush Administration: see http://www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/index.htm 2. Group check-in3. Local, Traditional, Indigenous, Lay Knowledge - following on from Tuesday's lecture - science has played a very important role in IEP - most often, "big science" - especially in Climate ChangeScientific Authority in the CBD:a. Role of IUCN in issue emergenceb. Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTA)i. “open-ended intergovernmental scientific advisory body”ii. subsidiary body of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and is to reportregularly to the COP on all aspects of its workiii. functions include: providing assessments of the status of biological diversity; assessments of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention; and respond to questions that the COP may put to the body. How SBSTTA carries out its work is described in its modus operandi (determined by COP)iv. has met 7 times to date and produced a total of 71 recommendations, ten of which have been endorsed in full by the latterc. Criticisms1i. Does mostly coordination and translationii. Politicized because reps are often politicians not scientistsd. Optionsi. Set up parallel but independent body, like IPCC (most costly, politically unworkable in short term)Make better use of informal scientific expertise through national international academies of sciences - BD, and also desertification convention, introduce a counter approach: the importance of recording, preserving and utilizing "local knowledge", situated in specific contexts is this international politics coming "down to earth" or is it not so simple? terminology: subtle differences between local, traditional, indigenous, lay knowledge[Story: Brian Wynne and sheep in Cumbria (northern part of England) following Chernobyl - following the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, which send waves of radiation across Northern Europe, farmers in Cumbria were banned from selling sheep for the short term, based on scientific assessments of the likely run-off of radioactive materials, farming practices, etc. - turned out to be wrong: problem much more long-term, therefore, expert advice to farmers to hold out was economically a disaster for them - turns out the experts conducting experiments - following proper scientific method - never consulted the farmers, who could have told them that the soils in many areas were peaty, not clay (on which the model relied), and further, that the scientists showed poor understanding of the actual practice of sheep farming in the hills Wynne's points are primarily about trust of expertise, but also make a very important point about different sorts of knowledge and how it's derived, maintained and put into practice2 Many people argue wrt BD that similar local knowledge and expertise has beenignored round the world]4. Defining "Local", or "Other" Knowledgea. In General: - local knowledge: "unique and situated, holistic and processual" (Long, p. 116), cf. "science", which moves towards standardization: knowledge that is "standardized, universal, compartmentalized (e.g. disciplines in academia) and instrumental (has a goal in mind)" - usually associated with particular groups, e.g. indigenous farmers, urban dwellers, college students, and specific places (though not necessarily: campuses - bound together less by geography than by common cause) - also Sacramento - new governor i.e. local knowledge important for all of us becomes political when under threat; opposed by other models of acquiring knowledge or when the holders' lifestyles are threatened; clear economic value to the knowledge (e.g. traditional medicines), especially when the communities are impoverished (Gupta piece in text); communities view their knowledge as being appropriated without recompense NOT purely a North-South issueb. In and Around CBD:"Traditional knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities around the world. Developed from experience gained over the centuries and adapted to the local culture and environment, traditional knowledge is transmitted orally from generation to generation. It tends to be collectively owned and takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, cultural values, beliefs, rituals, community laws, local language, and agricultural practices, including the development of plant species and animal breeds. Traditional knowledge is mainly of a practical nature, particularly in such fields as agriculture, fisheries, health, horticulture, and forestry."3At: http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/socio-eco/traditional/Why important? Many studies have shown the active role that local communities have played in "a. generating knowledge based on a sophisticated understanding of their environment, b. devising mechanisms to conserve and sustain their natural resources and c. establishing community-based organizations that serve as forums for identifying problems and dealing with them through local-level experimentation, innovation, and exchange of information with other societies" - this from a 1992 address on IK, BD Conservation and Development (D. Michael Warren) - also long-maligned by outsiders: now a tool of resistance, and empowerment, especially for indigenous groups - also an important resource in and of itself - very clear in the face of external threats, such as multinational investment, government development projects - implies a much more flexible, contextualized approach to conservation, as opposed to a technocratic "best science" approach5. Its Role in the CBD: Article 8j and the Ad-Hoc Working Group - CBD: a very important international forum for putting forward ideas about localtools for conserving BD, as well as local knowledge ABOUT BD being an important rationale for conservation - indigenous peoples became active players in the CBD - Marybeth's slidesArticle 8j and Related Mention:See http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focus/report/english/ipbn.htm42.1 In the Preamble and in Article 8(j), explicit mention is made of indigenous and local communities and traditional knowledge in the coverage of the Convention. The Secretariat’s paper to the COP3 recommended in paragraph 103, that other provisions of the Convention should be considered conjointly with Article