Traditional Ecological Knowledge
My first degree was in Ecology and Environmental Biology at the University of Essex which led me straight into a PhD in ecological knowledge. My PhD research focused on identifying, and subsequently quantifying, differences in local ecological knowledge across different cultures and scales of economic development in India, Indonesia and the UK. TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) has gained international importance in recent decades due to its widespread loss. This study aimed to look at factors contributing to this loss and examining patterns in knowledge levels, for instance generational decline, gender differences, the way that attitude and experience of nature affects knowledge. I am particularly interested in the implications of LEK loss for management of natural resources and how conservation of local knowledge bases can feed into co-management schemes in developing regions. Other research areas include changes in human health as a consequence of disconnecting with nature, particularly caused by the sedentarisation and assimilation of indigenous peoples (especially Innu tribes of Labrador).
Email: sepilg@essex.ac.uk
