EAPSI: Understanding How Increasing Urbanization Affects Cultural and Biological Knowledge Preservation in Sichuan Province, China

Seyler Barnabas, Honolulu HI

Investigators

Abstract

China?s vast orchid diversity, particularly Southwest China?s Sichuan Province, is well documented. Many species are used in traditional Chinese medicine, with a long history of cultivation and cultural appreciation. Pressures resulting from their pharmaceutical potential, rarity, and beauty, and from habitat loss, risk extinction of many species. Due to the link between biodiversity and cultural diversity, documenting traditional orchid knowledge is necessary to conserve the orchid culture and diversity. Rapid urbanization and the acute economic pressures for rural communities to develop have increased endangerment of Southwest China?s biological and cultural diversity. In collaboration with Dr. Ya Tang, an accomplished environmental scientist and botanist at Sichuan University, this project will test the effect of urbanization on three types of orchid knowledge in Sichuan Province. The unique cultural and biological diversity of the province position this study to yield valuable insights for conservation efforts. Though the orchid flora of Sichuan Province is the third most diverse in Mainland China, a dispro¬portionately small amount of research studies have focused there. Rapidly declining orchid populations are widely recognized, but little attention has been paid to formally documenting this phenomenon or investigating the impact of their loss. Urbanization and economic development pressures compound the endangerment of Sichuan?s biocultural diversity. This study asks what role urbanization has on the preservation/dissemination of orchid cultural knowledge in Sichuan, hypothesizing that the effect depends on the type of knowledge considered. To test this, an interdisciplinary knowledge survey, employing semi-structured interviews, will be conducted to assess impacts of urbanization on three types of orchid knowledge in Sichuan. Stakeholders in orchid biocultural diversity conservation such as government agencies, botanical gardens, and universities will benefit from the greater insight this project will provide for their initiatives. This NSF EAPSI award supports the research of a U.S. graduate student and is funded in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.