Dear all,

Just to pick up on one Leonardo's points from his posting ...

I agree that 'western' ornithology has largely ignored the existence
of indigenous peoples as a factor in much/most research undertaken
within the discipline - in Australia this reflects the official
doctrine of 'terra nullius' (empty land) used to justify the
invasion of Australia in the late 1700's and the subsequent
dispossession of the 250 language groups of Australian Aboriginal
people. Terra nullius underpinned the justification for much of
Australia's rape and pillage of the country and the subsequent
treatment of Aboriginal people and was only recognised as a fatally
flawed doctrine following sustained political pressure from
Aboriginal people and the decision of the High Court of Australia in
Mabo's case handed down in 1992. I suspect that ornithology in many
other parts of the world has been trapped in a similar post-colonial
paradigm - thankfully things appear to be changing, however slowly.

It is trite to say that the professions and sciences follow the
dominant political dogma/doctrines and this is largely reflected in
the approach that mainstream Australian science has taken to
ornithology - people (other than western scientists) have largely
been left out of any research or conservation efforts - they seem to
occur only as predators of bird species or people to dig holes for
trees to restore habitat - the Australian environmental philosopher
Val Plumwood has called this the 'hyperseparation' of European
Australians from nature. The idea of "people and birds" doesn't seem
to have occurred to many ornithologists - people just get in the way
of the birds!

So how does ethnoornithology fit in this picture? Thankfully it
appears that a new generation of scientists are starting to
recognise that the Australian landscape is an acculturated one -
that for Aboriginal people they cannot be separated from their
religious and physical connections to their country and that they
have (despite widespread dispossession, cultural alienation and de-
valuing of Aboriginal knowledge and culture) much knowledge and
capacity to contribute to landscape and species management.
Aboriginal people are being pro-active in implementing land and sea
management of their country and governments are (as slowly as ever)
recognising the value of having people who know the land best being
involved in its management.
This presents as a good opportunity for ethnoornithology to assist
in these endeavours - we know that birds are good environmental
indicators, charismatic and salient (to all/most humans) and
culturally important for Aboriginal people - these are good staring
points.

Ethnoornithological research (and the application of that research)
has the potential to provide valuable links between traditional
indigenous peoples and modern landscape management practices and to
contribute to modern ornithological research and management.

It's not the only possibility, but birds are good to think, and
study, and eat, and admire.

Cheers,

Robert Gosford

Tha
--- In Ethnoornithology@..., "Leonardo Cabrera"
<lcabre@p...> wrote:
>
Dear All,
>
I also attended to the NAOC 2004 and in agreement with Rob, but
being sincere, it did not surprised me the lack of ethno-
ornithological studies, it seems the people-bird component "for the
majority" of ornithologists is still at the level of "background" at
the best, when for many presenters "local people" do not even exist.

The question that remains for me is when are these investigations
going to be linked with local land use practices and communities
interests and knowledge systems (both on birds and their habitats)?
When are we going to recognize that people-bird interactions are not
always negative? and that there are ways to conserve birds in human-
dominated ecosystems that do not necessarily imply the acquisition
and protection-restriction of land from locals.

>
> Cheers,
>
> Leonardo Cabrera-Garcia, Ph.D.
> Department of Geography
> McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
>