Habitat
The results show that it is necessary to combine historically underestimated sources of local knowledge with academic knowledge to truly understand the complexity of the natural ecological network. This is especially important in remote areas, where research is expensive and potentially dangerous.
“An important aspect of ecological research is to collect as much knowledge as possible in order to better understand how the ecosystem works.” Clémentine Durand-Bessart said.
“Our research clearly shows that local ecological knowledge is usually unique and invaluable for understanding many ecological processes, especially in remote areas.
“Adding these interactions to the academic literature is changing our understanding of tree-fruit-eating animal interactions and will ultimately help inform us how to protect these species and habitats.”
Fruitivore
The researchers also emphasized that this requires a partnership with the local community. Clémentine Durand-Bessart added: “Cooperation is essential so that both parties can benefit from this type of research program.
“This can be achieved by valuing local knowledge and using the knowledge collected in the local dialect compilation. I also think it is very important to share the feedback of the research with the local communities that make this type of research possible.”
In this study, the researchers collected photographic guides of 100 fruit-eating animals and 286 fruit trees found in the Gabonese forest known in academic literature.
Then, in 2019, they interviewed all 39 residents of Doussala village in southwestern Gabon. After specifying the species they knew in the photography guide, the researchers asked which fruit-eating animals eat which fruit tree species.
breakthrough
After analyzing the information from these interviews, the researchers compared local ecological knowledge with academic literature.
The Covid-19 pandemic has restricted researchers from returning to Gabon and conducting further interviews with other communities in the region.
“More information providers will enable us to learn more about the local ecological knowledge of fruit-eating interactions, and to better understand the differences in fruit-eating knowledge.” Clémentine Durand-Bessart said. “Next, we hope to conduct this research in different communities and different countries, and add more species.”
Clémentine Durand-Bessart presented her work on Ecology Across Borders. This work has not yet been published and has not yet passed the peer review process. The conference will bring together more than 1,000 ecologists to discuss the latest breakthroughs in ecology.
This author
Brendan Montague is EcologistThis article is based on a press release from the British Ecological Society.
