Elicitation and representation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, for use in forest management

Canadian aboriginal (First Nations) groups wish not only to preserve their heritage, but also to see that heritage given its proper place in decisions that affect the land. Each community is unique in the diversity of problem s and concerns that it faces. Modern knowledge-based systems permit customi zed solutions to complex issues, but there is currently no good method of r epresenting traditional knowledge in the computer, in a way that helps the needs of communities to be individually addressed. Most traditional knowled ge information is presented in anecdotal form and is therefore difficult to classify and analyze. Elicitation, representation and use of knowledge is a major area of research in the field of Artificial Intelligence, leading t o development of knowledge bases and expert systems. The present study desc ribes the elicitation and representation of the traditional knowledge from bands belonging to the Nicola Tribal Association in British Columbia. The s tudy aims at representing the interaction of community and environment in a manner that can be used to show the differences among communities. This pa per focuses on the relationship of the traditional knowledge to modern fore st management. Crown Copyright (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.