ABSTRACT
Traditional ecological knowledge arose from two separate approaches: ethnoscience and human ecology. The first deals largely with folk taxonomies, ethnobotanical and ethnozoological classifications, of plants and animals. The second deals with indigenous understandings of natural processes, including the relationships of humans with animals, plants, and various environmental and sometimes supernatural factors. The two approaches have been joined by others emphasizing applications of traditional ecological knowledge to contemporary problems such as conservation, resource management, and sustainable development. The various approaches have intellectually distinct roots but are increasingly used together as traditional ecological knowledge matures as a discipline.
