Listen, please: nature and communities give their thanks – Oral History and Biocultural Heritage for Conservation and Biodiversity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18817/ot.v22i40.1311Keywords:
oral history, biocultural heritage, environmental humanitiesAbstract
This article analyzes the contributions of oral history to understanding socioecological dynamics and valuing biocultural heritage as a key dimension of sustainability. Based on interviews collected in twelve projects of the Memória para Todos program, across diverse territories — rural, forested, coastal, urban and island — we explore the relationships between people, nature and place. Oral narratives reveal care practices, local knowledge, perceptions of environmental change and a recurring desire for participation. Structured around six analytical axes, the article argues that oral history enables access to situated experiences often overlooked by technical-scientific approaches. The interviews constitute ecologies of memory — devices that interweave knowledge, affect and action — and function as tools for environmental justice, cultural recognition and democratic governance. By proposing memory as heritage and a mechanism of intervention, the article contributes to rethinking the role of communities in environmental and territorial policies, advocating for an inclusive, situated and culturally rooted approach.
Memória para Todosprogramme, across diverse territories — rural, forested, coastal, urban and island — it explores the relationships between people, nature and place. Oral narratives reveal care practices, local knowledge, perceptions of environmental change and a recurring desire for participation. Structured around six analytical axes, the article argues that oral history enables access to situated experiences often overlooked by technical-scientific approaches. The interviews constitute ecologies of memory — devices that interweave knowledge, affect and action — and function as tools for environmental justice, cultural recognition and democratic governance. By proposing memory as heritage and a mechanism of intervention, the article contributes to rethinking the role of communities in environmental and territorial policies, advocating for an inclusive, situated and culturally rooted approach.Downloads
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