Grant: Alliance Grants

It is of the utmost importance to propose groundbreaking sustainable practices for ecosystem management. Archaeological and historical-ecological research demonstrates that what are perceived as wild or untouched forests today, are in fact a result of past human actions designed to balance ecosystem health and food production. Forest garden ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest are unique in their ability to be used as natural ecosystem laboratory to study the potential of revitalizing ancestral Indigenous forest management to improve soil and ecosystem resiliency. The uniqueness of these ecosystems in temperate Northern regions recently show how practices by ancestral Indigenous peoples have enhanced plant diversity compared to naturally regenerated forest ecosystems. It is an unprecedented discovery that allows for new perspectives for sustainable ecosystem management through the lens of soil functioning at the interface between rocks, atmosphere and vegetation. We aim to build on collaborative forest garden research, established with three Indigenous Nations in British Columbia, to study for the first time, how ancient land-use practices can influence soil properties and related ecological functions. The field work in three different eco-cultural British Columbia's context in Gitseax (Gitselasu), Hannamuwx and Lhemqwatel (Sts'ailes) village complexes will be an opportunity to investigate soil diversity and functions with local Indigenous communities, shedding light on unique social-ecological dynamics, through the lens of soil-plant-human interactions. The research will combine traditional ecological knowledge and western science approaches to better understand and inform regulatory agencies for future conservation strategies and policies.