Latest news with #ecologicalknowledge
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
I was a big orca fan – but their skincare regime is giving me the ick
I've thought for a while that it would be nice to be an orca. Not because I hate boats and they sink them (though I get it – the briny depths are none of our human business). What actually appeals is the idea of being charismatic megafauna – I love that phrase – and also important as a post-menopausal female. Orcas are one of very few species that go through menopause, living for decades after their reproductive years. These older matriarchs remain an integral part of the community, improving pod survival rates thanks to being 'repositories of ecological knowledge', caring for young and even, research suggests, keeping their giant adult sons safe from being attacked. The fact that they're fashion-conscious is a bonus: the 80s orca trend for wearing jaunty salmon fascinators was revived, intriguingly, in some pods last December; other orcas have been observed draping themselves artistically in kelp. But new research is giving me pause. Now orcas in the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington state have been filmed picking kelp stalks and 'massaging' each other with them. In sightings of this behaviour, reported and dubbed 'allokelping' by the Center for Whale Research, 'the two whales then manoeuvre to keep the kelp between them while rolling it across their bodies … During contact, whales roll and twist their bodies, often adopting an exaggerated S-shaped posture.' Whether this weirdly acrobatic seaweed exfoliation is more about skincare or social bonding is unclear, but it's fascinating. It's also, however, off-putting. There's a nauseating 'mud-daubed couples' cute spa selfie' or 'wearing matching thong swimwear to give each other a scrub at the mixed hammam session' vibe to this kelp massage business. It seems out of character for my orca heroines: this is the kind of performative sensuality I can imagine dolphins indulging in (don't get me started on dolphins). I'm choosing, however, to have faith. Hopefully 'allokelping' will be revealed to be a creative part of a greater orca plan – perhaps to destroy humanity by giving us a catastrophic inter-species ick? I can't become one, but I remain, as ever, ready to accept my orca overladies. Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist
The Guardian
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
I was a big orca fan – but their skincare regime is giving me the ick
I've thought for a while that it would be nice to be an orca. Not because I hate boats and they sink them (though I get it – the briny depths are none of our human business). What actually appeals is the idea of being charismatic megafauna – I love that phrase – and also important as a post-menopausal female. Orcas are one of very few species that go through menopause, living for decades after their reproductive years. These older matriarchs remain an integral part of the community, improving pod survival rates thanks to being 'repositories of ecological knowledge', caring for young and even, research suggests, keeping their giant adult sons safe from being attacked. The fact that they're fashion-conscious is a bonus: the 80s orca trend for wearing jaunty salmon fascinators was revived, intriguingly, in some pods last December; other orcas have been observed draping themselves artistically in kelp. But new research is giving me pause. Now orcas in the Salish Sea off the coast of Washington state have been filmed picking kelp stalks and 'massaging' each other with them. In sightings of this behaviour, reported and dubbed 'allokelping' by the Center for Whale Research, 'the two whales then manoeuvre to keep the kelp between them while rolling it across their bodies … During contact, whales roll and twist their bodies, often adopting an exaggerated S-shaped posture.' Whether this weirdly acrobatic seaweed exfoliation is more about skincare or social bonding is unclear, but it's fascinating. It's also, however, off-putting. There's a nauseating 'mud-daubed couples' cute spa selfie' or 'wearing matching thong swimwear to give each other a scrub at the mixed hammam session' vibe to this kelp massage business. It seems out of character for my orca heroines: this is the kind of performative sensuality I can imagine dolphins indulging in (don't get me started on dolphins). I'm choosing, however, to have faith. Hopefully 'allokelping' will be revealed to be a creative part of a greater orca plan – perhaps to destroy humanity by giving us a catastrophic inter-species ick? I can't become one, but I remain, as ever, ready to accept my orca overladies. Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist
Mail & Guardian
18-06-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
Documenting sacred ecology: Mamelodi to Rustenburg Kloof conservation walk begins
Ecological threats in the Magaliesberg have spurred the community-led conservation effort. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) A unique project to document the conditions at sacred natural sites and traditional ecological knowledge from Mamelodi to Rustenburg Kloof began on Monday. It comes after Despite its Unesco Biosphere status, the Magaliesberg faces growing threats from mining, urban expansion, tree felling, water pollution and a lack of environmental education. Dzerefos's project, in partnership with traditional healer Ephraim Cebisa Mabena, is a culturally grounded response. It will document conditions at sacred natural sites such as in Majakaneng Kloof, Barnardsvlei and Kgaswane Mountain Reserve. Mabena will lead discussions with traditional healers, church groups and holy water collectors to explore how spiritual practices can align with sustainable environmental use. His ties to the Magaliesberg and his The project responds to alarming developments such as the 'These events highlight the disconnect between top-down policy and local spiritual users. The initiative uses a participatory model where Dr Mabena interprets environmental conditions and threats through a cultural lens, identifying sacred ecological signs and proposing culturally appropriate responses,' they said. Dzerefos will document the process, ensure ethical standards and translate findings into tools that can influence land use policy and eco-literacy. 'This project is about restoring our relationship and appreciation of natural areas,' she said. 'Through Dr Mabena's leadership, we hope to find ways to maintain the Magaliesberg's pristine water and habitat for leopard, baboon, birds of prey and other indigenous animal and plant species that still exist in the Magaliesberg.' Mabena noted: 'This walk is just to indicate that as a human being living on this Earth, I'm a part, not apart from biodiversity, therefore it is my task to make sure that I protect this planet. And this walk, to me, is just to try to activate our ancient wisdom into activism that can give birth to alternative ways that can be beneficial to all of us in saving our planet, especially our sacred spaces and our flora and fauna.' The walk is to trigger the spirit of working among healers 'as indigenous knowledge custodians, as creative thinkers, as artists, as scholars and visionaries and wisdom holders' to protect sacred spaces and natural resources. Mabena emphasised the importance of schools, colleges and universities to develop academic courses on the importance of sacred sites. '[This is] because such sites are to me outdoor educational centres; places like sacred sites and protected areas are a mirror to us where we see ourselves. How can we encourage communities to be guardians of such sacred places and protected areas?' He dedicated the walk to 'all who came before me, before us, in protecting such sacred spaces. These natural resources, like the Magaliesberg mountains, it's a place of wilderness, of wars … There are The project launched at Mamelodi Mountain on Monday with the symbolic planting of Kei apple, which was attended by environmental historian
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Placer County partners with indigenous group to boost wildfire resilience in Foresthill Divide
FORESTHILL — Placer County is launching a new partnership aimed at protecting land and promoting more inclusive wildfire prevention strategies. The county is teaming up with the nonprofit Indigenous Futures Society to enhance wildfire resilience in the Foresthill Divide, an area officials have flagged as high risk for wildfires. The project, funded by a $161,000 grant from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, takes a unique approach to forest management by incorporating Indigenous knowledge and practices. A key part of the initiative is the use of "cultural burning," a traditional technique that reduces fuel buildup while improving biodiversity and soil health. "It's much lower intensity," said Albert Brian Wallace, CEO of the Indigenous Futures Society. "The goal is not necessarily just fuel reduction but it's also cultural, biological regeneration. It's more of a restorative strategy that has more long-term outcomes and results and impacts." This collaboration is part of a broader 10-year action plan to improve forest health throughout the Sierra Nevada. Over the past year, Placer County has also introduced artificial intelligence tools to help pinpoint wildfire-prone areas, particularly those near critical infrastructure like Interstate 80, the Union Pacific rail line, and rural communities. The Foresthill Divide project marks the first time the county has formally partnered with an Indigenous organization to implement traditional ecological knowledge in wildfire planning.
