Ethnoecology as Applied Anthropology in Amazonian Development

Abstract

Social and ecological devastation in Amazônia necessitates alternative strategies for sustained, ecologically sound development. The study of indigenous ecological knowledge (ethnoecology) is shown to offer the bases for these new strategies. Six categories of folk knowledge are explored: gathered products, game, aquaculture, agriculture, resource units and cosmology. A set of recommendations for systematic ethnoecological research is offered, the application of which will not only identify new categories of resources, but also offer alternative resource management strategies to bring the benefits of development to all residents of Amazônia.