Description
The paper presents the case for regarding some traditional practices and customs as a bae for sustainable development in winter cold temperate rangeland pastoralism, The emphasis is on the social forms which maintain a system in which low intensity production, usufruct, kinship dynamics, co-operation, environmentally friendly practices and nomadism are maintained in the face of extreme outside pressures, A typology is elaborated including five situations: independence, coexistence, fluctuation, absorption and interaction. Case studies _are presented from the Middle East, Andes, North Africa, the Alps, the Himalaya and the former Soviet Union. Although these situations are basically historical, or at best the ecological present, it is suggested that there are many lessons for the future. There is an important international effort to help pastoral peoples, and although necessary, it is often not sufficient and may sometimes be counterproductive. A rethinking and series of reforms are suggested. The greater international recognition of traditional systems is advocated and new ideas in international practice put forward, including legal recognition of cultural plurality, mobility, extended protected areas, recognition of the cultural heritage, and greater communication with, and participation of, local peoples.
Citation
Pitt, David, "Tradition and Pastoral Sustainability- An Exercise in the Applied Human Ecology of Mountain Rangelands" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 2.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1993/session50/2
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Tradition and Pastoral Sustainability- An Exercise in the Applied Human Ecology of Mountain Rangelands
The paper presents the case for regarding some traditional practices and customs as a bae for sustainable development in winter cold temperate rangeland pastoralism, The emphasis is on the social forms which maintain a system in which low intensity production, usufruct, kinship dynamics, co-operation, environmentally friendly practices and nomadism are maintained in the face of extreme outside pressures, A typology is elaborated including five situations: independence, coexistence, fluctuation, absorption and interaction. Case studies _are presented from the Middle East, Andes, North Africa, the Alps, the Himalaya and the former Soviet Union. Although these situations are basically historical, or at best the ecological present, it is suggested that there are many lessons for the future. There is an important international effort to help pastoral peoples, and although necessary, it is often not sufficient and may sometimes be counterproductive. A rethinking and series of reforms are suggested. The greater international recognition of traditional systems is advocated and new ideas in international practice put forward, including legal recognition of cultural plurality, mobility, extended protected areas, recognition of the cultural heritage, and greater communication with, and participation of, local peoples.
