Renata Sõukand

Ethnobotany of divided generations in the context of centralisation

Understanding the logic of obtaining, managing, and perceiving local natural resources, particularly plants, is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of human life, as the use of plants is key for the survival of humans. The project created an advanced understanding of the mechanisms of changes in ethnobotanical knowledge experiences by traditional societies/minor ethnic groups in conditions where dominating groups try to unify and/or erode this practical knowledge. It also evaluated the effects of the sudden cease of such centralisation and the subsequent impact of the attempts to revive the discontinued traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. The research assessed the effects of several social and cultural factors on the evolution of ethnobotanical knowledge among four compact but divided ethnic minorities that had experienced different influences on their plant use as well as very big differences in their social conditions (including welfare and economy) for a shorter (25-year) or longer (70-year) period.

Results

The project team documented Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) in 8 countries at 10 research sites in regions formerly occupied by Russia or bordering the former Soviet Union. The main achievement of the project was that it clearly demonstrated the devastating effects of Russian occupation on the LEK of the studied traditional societies/minority ethnic groups. Continuous erosion and homogenisation of the use of wild food, medicinal and ethnoveterinary plants, which was particularly affected by the centralisation of knowledge and practice, was detected at all research sites.

Clear differences were recorded in patterns between ex-Soviet and non-Soviet territories, as well as in the graduality of changes between countries that remained in the post-Soviet nightmare (e.g. Russia and Belarus) and those that eventually joined the EU (Estonia and Lithuania). Of all research sites, Finnish Karelia, being the only region that has not belonged to the socialist block, stood out by the confidence with which people spoke about their LEK and recently learned practices.

Impact

The project contributed to the acknowledgement that policy has an impact on the intimate relationship between the environment and humans. It is essential to understand if and how policy can be used to support the sustainability of human life. A society that is not in touch with the local environment and has lost the basic knowledge of plant use will eventually find itself in an ecological trap, being fully dependent on centralised supplies and the ruling power.

Many disappearing or already disappeared practices were documented. As a long-term outcome, scientists will be able to use the results of the present study and consequent studies as a basis to predict the extent and depth of changes occurring in LEK. They can learn to direct and educate people in the way that the knowledge necessary for sustainable maintenance and utilisation of local plant resources will be constantly evolving in the direction of supporting the health and well-being of different populations.