Search

This paper presents the latest model developed within Case Study 1 (hereafter CS1) of the SimulPast project: Hunter-Gatherer persistence in arid margins. The case of North Gujarat (India). The aim of this model is to test the resilience of agro-pastoralists (AP) communities in semi-arid ecosystems. We created a simple Agent Based Model in which agents relied on a pure subsistence strategy based on domesticated plants and animals. We tested our model against previously published climatic record for the area and concluded that a pure agropastoral strategy was not enough to sustain the population in conditions of high climatic variability. Further tests were performed to check the climatic conditions in which this type of subsistence strategy is self-sustained in order to extrapolate the model to areas with different specificities than the one understudy.

Proyecto Red de Excelencia “Simular el pasado para entender el comportamiento humano” (Redes de Excelencia 2017 i – Ref. HAR2017-90883-REDC), financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades; estando también vinculada al proyecto CULM – Modelado del cultivo en la Prehistoria (HAR2016-77672-P), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.

Forêts paisibles,Jamais un vain désir ne trouble ici nos cœurs.S’ils sont sensibles,Fortune, ce n’est pas au prix de tes faveurs. « Danse du grand calumet de la paix, exécutée par les Sauvages »,Les Indes galantes, opéra de Jean-Philippe Rameaux, livret de Louis Fuzelier, 1735. Zima et Adario chantant au début du xviiie siècle, dans un air aussi célèbre que splendide, les bienfaits de la forêt, se faisaient l’écho de l’émerveillement des Français en Nouvelle France et en Louisiane. Ils n’aura...

Introduction L’écologie historique a, jusqu’à présent, essentiellement été appliquée à des paysages de forêts denses, dans le bassin amazonien. Cette approche peut se révéler riche dans un autre contexte, celui des savanes arborées, que l’on rencontre notamment en Afrique de l’Ouest, centrale et orientale. Dans toute cette zone et quel que soit leur champ d’investigation, les scientifiques qui travaillent sur les dynamiques forestières sont confrontés au phénomène des « bois sacrés ». Cette e...

In recognition of the importance of nature, its contributions to people and role in underpinning sustainable development, governments adopted a Strategic Plan on Biodiversity 2011-2020 through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) containing 20 "Aichi Biodiversity Targets" and integrated many of these into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted through the United Nations in 2015. Additional multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) target particular aspects of nature (e.g., Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; Convention on Migratory Species), drivers of biodiversity loss (e.g., Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), or responses (e.g., World Heritage Convention). These various MEAs provide complementary fora in which governments strive to coordinate efforts to reduce the loss and degradation of nature, and to promote sustainable development. In this chapter, we assess, through a systematic review process and quantitative analysis of indicators, progress towards the 20 Aichi Targets under the Strategic Plan (and each of the 54 elements or components of these targets), targets under the SDGs that are relevant to nature and nature's contributions to people (NCP), and the goals and targets of six other MEAs. We consider the relationships between the SDGs, nature and the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) to achieving the various targets and goals, the impact of progress or lack of it on IPLCs, the reasons for variation in progress, implications for a new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity beyond 2020, and key knowledge gaps.For the 44 SDG targets assessed, including targets for poverty, hunger, health, water, cities, climate, oceans and land (Goals 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15), findings suggest that current negative trends in nature will substantially undermine progress to 22 SDG targets and result in insufficient progress to meet 13 additional targets (i.e. 80 per cent (35 out of 44) of the assessed targets) {3.3.2.1; 3.3.2.2}(established but incomplete). Across terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems, current negative trends in nature and its contributions will hamper SDG progress, with especially poor progress expected towards targets on water security, water quality, ocean pollution and acidification. Trends in nature's contributions relevant to extreme event vulnerability, resource access, small-scale food production, and urban and agricultural sustainability are negative and insufficient for achieving relevant targets under SDGs 1, 2, 3, and 11. This has negative consequences for both the rural and urban poor who are also directly reliant on declining resources for consumption and income generation {3.3.2.2}. For a further 9 targets evaluated in SDGs 1, 3 and 11 a lack of knowledge on how nature contributes to targets (4 targets) or gaps in data with which to assess trends in nature (5 targets) prevented their assessment. Fil: Butchart, Stuart. London Metropolitan University; Reino Unido Fil: Miloslavich, Patricia. University of Western Australia; Australia Fil: Reyers, Belinda. No especifíca; Fil: Galetto, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina Fil: Subramanian, Suneetha M.. No especifíca; Fil: Adams, Cristina. No especifíca; Fil: Palomo, Maria Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentina Fil: McElwee, Pamela. No especifíca; Fil: Meretsky, Vicky J.. No especifíca; Fil: Morsello, Carla. No especifíca; Fil: Nel, Jeanne. No especifíca; Fil: Lynn Newberry, Teresa. No especifíca; Fil: Pacheco, Diego. No especifíca; Fil: Pyhala, Aili. No especifíca; Fil: Rossi Heras, Sergio. No especifíca; Fil: Roy, Joyashree. No especifíca; Fil: Ruiz-Mallén, Isabel. No especifíca; Fil: Salpeteur, Matthieu. No especifíca; Fil: Santos-Martin, Fernando. No especifíca; Fil: Saylor. Kirk. No especifíca; Fil: Schaffartzik, Anke. No especifíca; Fil: Sitas, Nadia. No especifíca; Fil: Speranza, Ifejika. No especifíca; Fil: Suich, Helen. No especifíca; Fil: Tittensor, Derek. No especifíca; Fil: Carignano, Patricia. No especifíca; Fil: Tsioumani, Elsa. No especifíca; Fil: Whitmee, Sarah. No especifíca; Fil: Wilson, Sarah. No especifíca; Fil: Wyndham, Felice. No especifíca; Fil: Zorondo-Rodriguez, Francisco. No especifíca

International audience

International audience; In this chapter, we propose to explore a set of questions related to the phenomenon of "sacred groves" on the African continent, through the double lens of history and anthropology. We build on data collected in Cameroon, Benin and Togo. Indeed, common features can be observed across these countries, regarding the ways the sacred groves relate to local histories, the roles and functions they provide in the daily life of the local populations, and the contemporary sociopolitical dynamics that emerge around these sites, particularly regarding heritagization processes. Regarding the historical dimension, the "sacred groves" relate to local history in various ways. The study of the specific history attached to each site enables the understanding of the processes through which such sites are created, in connection with specific human groups, as well as the ritual functions they play. This, in turn, allows on one hand an exploration of the complex and evolving links between the ritual dimension – of key importance in most cases - and the collective memory associated to the historical events that lead to the creation of such sites. On the other hand, such analysis provides some insights on the landscape dynamics, at larger spatial and temporal scales, that emerge from the creation and management of sacred groves at the local level.The contemporary dynamics around sacred groves are complex, related to multiple socio-political processes and grounded on various – sometimes opposite - narratives, from the "Relic Theory" to discourses and policies fostering the protection of cultural and natural heritages. While social and economical changes affect the ways local groups manage and are connected to these sites (through identity and/or ritual), an increasing interest for the protection, conservation or restoration of the sacred groves – heritagization - emerges across various local stakeholders. The various initiatives observed in the three countries are partly related to the international conventions on natural and cultural heritages, but also to locally-grounded political dynamics related to the disappearance of authoritarian governments or to the "return of the kings" in the local and national political arenas. These initiatives, in turn, affect the management of these sites, for instance when sacred groves are integrated into eco-tourism operations.

Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are known to be an important driver of environmental changes, yet the social impacts of such invasions are understudied, particularly among vulnerable groups. In this article we study the ways Rabari pastoralists from Kutch (Gujarat, India) deal with the invasion of Prosopis juliflora, a widelyspread, invasive bush tree. First, we analyze how the Rabari pastoralists perceive the presence of P. juliflora among a range of environmental changes and problems they are faced with today. Second, we focus on the dynamics of their Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) system by studying the knowledge and uses that are implemented in daily interactions with the tree. Our results show that P. juliflora invasion is not perceived as a major problem by the pastoralists, despite being mostly associated with negative impacts. We relate these results to several intertwined factors, such as the importance of other changes, the shifting baseline syndrome, the adaptive capacity of LEK systems, and the slow rate of environmental change directly attributable to P. juliflora invasion. We then suggest that the ability of LEK systems to adapt to environmental change may in turn influence the perception of environmental changes, such as P. juliflora invasion.

Following a strictly theory-building approach, we developed an agent-based simulation model, the Nice Musical Chairs model, to represent the competition between groups of stakeholders of farming and herding activities in the arid Afro-Eurasia. The model deepens the questions raised by the results of our former model, the Musical Chairs model, and further introduces three socio-economic mechanisms, which modulate the behavior and performance of stakeholders and their groups. First, we define land use pairing as the awarding, regarding productivity, of any direct cooperation between farming and herding within a group. Second, group management is modeled as the prerogative of a group leadership to manage stakeholders to pursue a particular proportion between farming and herding. Third, we introduce restricted access to pasture as the engagement in territorial control of rangelands in opposition to an open access regime. An exhaustive exploration of scenarios and parameters placed the control over rangelands as the most significant factor in the formation of land use patterns, followed by land use management. While the effect of land use pairing is mild in comparison, it is still a significant factor in group selection and thus in the persistence of particular land use patterns in the long run.

Suite à la proposition du département SHS du CNRS en 2003, une série de réseaux thématiques pluridisciplinaires (RTP) ont été créés en 2004, dans le but de fédérer le milieu académique français autour d’objets communs de recherche. L’un de ces réseaux fut consacré aux études africaines, qui, après un premier congrès en 2006, organisait en septembre dernier ses secondes rencontres, sur le thème « Recherches et débats : réinventer l’Afrique ? » Le panel très large de sujets abordés et le nombre...

Un equip del laboratori d'etnoecologia de l'ICTA-UAB ha fet un estudi amb una comunitat de pastors seminòmades de Gujarat (Índia) per estudiar com es transmeten els coneixements ecològics tradicionals. La principal troballa de l'estudi és que malgrat formar part d'un mateix grup cultural, els diferents grups de parentiu tenen coneixements diferents. Això mostra que la transmissió de coneixements està relacionada no tan sols amb l'ocupació de les persones i les diferències de gènere en els usos dels recursos naturals sinó també amb l'organització social de les comunitats. Un equipo del laboratorio de etnoecología del ICTA-UAB ha hecho un estudio con una comunidad de pastores seminómadas de Gujarat (India) para estudiar cómo se transmiten los conocimientos ecológicos tradicionales. El principal hallazgo del estudio es que a pesar de formar parte de un mismo grupo cultural, los diferentes grupos de parentesco tienen conocimientos diferentes. Esto muestra que la transmisión de conocimientos está relacionada no sólo con la ocupación de las personas y las diferencias de género en los usos de los recursos naturales sino también con la organización social de las comunidades. A team from the Ethnoecology laboratory hosted by ICTA at the UAB has done a study with a community of semi-nomadic herders from Gujarat (India) to determine how traditional ecological knowledge is transmitted. The main finding of the study is that despite being part of the same cultural group, different kin groups have different knowledge. This shows that the transmission of knowledge is not only related to people's occupations and to gender differences in the use of natural resources, but also to the social organization of communities.

Terra Incognitase ha configurado como unLibro Blancoque pretende identificar tendencias y reflexionar sobre las diferentes concepciones y prácticas de la investigación no disciplinar en nuestro entorno académico (el Sistema Español de Ciencia y Tecnología). Esta es una transición que implica un cierto cambio de paradigma, muy alineado con la investigación dirigida a retos sociales. Terra Incognitaes resultado de laRed de ExcelenciaSimPastNet– Simular el pasado para entender el comportamiento humano(Redes de Excelencia 2017 I, HAR2017-90883-REDC). Esta red, coordinada por el Grupo de Ingeniería de Organización de la Universidad de Burgos (UBU), está formada por 10 grupos de investigación y 40 investigadores. Los integrantes de la red pertenecen tanto a grupos de investigación en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades (Arqueología, Antropología y Sociología), como a grupos de investigación en Ciencias Formales (Matemáticas, Ingeniería e Informática). Todos ellos se caracterizan por su perspectiva transdisciplinar y presentan una larga experiencia de colaboración con especialistas de diferentes dominios. La Red SimPastNet surgió del proyecto de Investigación Consolider IngenioSimulPast. Simulating the Past to Understand Human Behavior(MINECO – CSD2010-00034) un proyecto de Humanidades (fundamentalmente arqueológico), dirigido a promover el modelado y la simulación en la investigación histórica y, por tanto, con un marcado carácter innovador y transdisciplinar. A pesar de queTerra Incognitatrate aspectos generales y ofrezca visiones de conjunto, esta genealogía explica el porqué de su perspectiva fundamentalmente anclada en las Ciencias Humanas y Sociales. Además, nos centraremos especialmente en el papel de lasHumanidades y las Ciencias Sociales,porque constituyen una parte importante de esosámbitos desde los que se están generando grandes aportaciones a esa transición que implica posicionarse en nuevos territorios, ajenos a las trayectorias históricas de nuestras disciplinas.

This document contains the draft Chapter 3 of the IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Governments and all observers at IPBES-7 had access to these draft chapters eight weeks prior to IPBES-7. Governments accepted the Chapters at IPBES-7 based on the understanding that revisions made to the SPM during the Plenary, as a result of the dialogue between Governments and scientists, wouldbe reflected in the final Chapters.IPBES typically releases its Chapters publicly only in their final form, which implies a delay of several months post Plenary. However, in light of the high interest for the Chapters, IPBES is releasing the six Chapters early (31 May 2019) in a draft form. Authors of the reports are currently working to reflect all the changes made to the Summary for Policymakers during the Plenary to the Chapters, and to perform final copyediting.