Carmen Alejandra Umana-Kinitzki
Grant Type
Engaged Research GrantInstitutional Affiliation
McGill U.Grant number
Gr. ERG-39Approve Date
February 2, 2023Project Title
Umana-Kinitzki, Carmen (McGill U.) "Integrating Indigenous Storywork, Biocultural Cartography, and Baselining Practices to Address Shifting Baseline Syndrome and Establish Forest and Watershed Recovery Targets in the Bayano-Majé Sub-Watershed, Panama".Areas that are governed and conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities are foundational to the preservation and enhancement of conditions necessary for life on Earth. In the Bayano-Majé sub-watershed (Panama), Majé Emberá Drüa knowledge keepers are identifying and interpreting historical changes, monitoring current trends, and formulating effective strategies for the defense and resurgence of habitats and species diversity within their fluvial territory. With the financial support of the Wenner-Gren Engaged Research Grant, this collaboration combined biocultural mapping methodologies, indigenous story-work, and baselining practices to track the cumulative effects of hydroelectric dam development (1972-1976) and rampant deforestation that has reduced forest cover by 45% within the community’s 19,600 hectares in less than two decades. In so doing, we achieved several project outputs: (1) toponymic reclamation for inclusion within Biocultural Maps; (2) biocultural keystone species identification, seed nursery construction, and pilot reforestation initiatives; (3) 315 forest inventories for flora identification and for integration in species-niche modeling (in process); and, (4) medicinal plant and keystone tree drawings and calendar workshops to guide future recovery efforts.