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Seeking consilience: Traditional ecological knowledge and Western social science contributions to orca conservation knowledge

2023; Elsevier BV; Volume: 72; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126364

1618-1093

Kelly Biedenweg, Leif Anderson, Samantha Chisholm Hatfield, Rebecca Hollender, Leah Kintner, David J. Trimbach,

Species Distribution and Climate Change

Consilience is the integration of disciplinary knowledges in search of a more complete truth. In the complex context of conservation, where human activities are increasingly impacting the population status of many species, this endeavor is particularly important. Yet, to date, we have had limited attempts at unifying diverse sources of knowledge around a conservation issue. Focusing on orca conservation specifically, we share the perspectives of five scholars from five disciplines to demonstrate how Indigenous Knowledges and Social Sciences can inform the conservation of Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs). We see Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as an original consilient knowledge and Western social sciences as the fields that can best identify and describe the norms and patterns of how to engage conservation. The integration of these broader knowledge systems, driven by individuals trained in their respective fields, with the already existing biophysical data around SRKWs, can help us make better decisions for SRKW conservation.