Change the story and change the future – merging science and Indigenous knowledge to steer us towards a more benign Anthropocene
- Author is ecologist working collaboratively with First Nations on integration of traditional knowledge with western science
- Born and raised in Mexico City and has worked as a marine scientist in Coastal BC, Canada for over 20 years
- Seeks to find ways of relating to the natural world and natural resources that help create a better future
- Through his work in marine conservation, he has discovered a path where science and indigenous knowledge meet and work together to create better outcomes for everyone
- Written to be culturally inclusive and relevant to both native and settler culture
- Argues that the stories we tell about these changes will affect our future outcomes
- At this pivotal moment in history, the most important story we can be telling ourselves is that humans are not inherently destructive.
- We can recognize that indigenous cultures have lived and thrived for millennia with large populations within a finite resource base and large populations of indigenous cultures have lived sustainably for millennia
- By integrating this traditional knowledge into modern scientific knowledge, a synergistic approach to resource management can be achieved
- Similar to Sacred Ecology by Fikret Berkes, this book makes an important contribution to the work of reconciliation. It differs in that it has a personal approach and experimental perspective.
- Takes off where Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer stopped by giving real life examples where Indigenous people are reclaiming control over their resources.
- Uses real life examples to argue that when Indigenous people are legitimate partners in resource management, it is more likely to ensure the sustainability of those resources
- Drawing from the author's personal experience as an ecologist, these stories encourage the reader to tell a new story about our future that is optimistic and hopeful
Audience:
Readers of Braiding Sweetgrass, people interested in natural conservation, climate change and ecology, Native American and Indigenous studies, students of climatology, archeology, anthropology, social science, resource management and ecology
Canada:
- The author has worked to ensure his writing is culturally inclusive. The manuscript has received feedback from first nation writers.
- Author is interested in doing book events and is willing to travel
- Regional Interest: BC, University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University
Preface
1: Gravity Suspended
2: Resisting Least Resistance
3: Coalescing Knowledge
4: Reawakening
5: The Exuberance of Herring
6: Sculpted by River and Story
7: Beautiful Protest
Interlude I
8. Echoes Across the Lake
9. Ditching Our Climate-Wrecking Stories
Interlude II
10. At the Edge of Geologic Epochs
11. Transformation
Acknowledgments
Captions
Notes
References
Index
About the Author
A Note About the Publisher