Seminar: Rancher Local Knowledge: Insights for collaboration, conservation, and rural wellbeing

Local knowledge plays an important role in shaping social-ecological relationships in complex natural resource systems. In recent years, local knowledge has gained attention from researchers and managers seeking to build bridges among diverse rangeland user groups to better adapt to social, ecological, and climatic changes in the US West. For example, the volume and quality of social science on ranchers and participatory projects including ranchers, have both expanded to address knowledge gaps in the rotational grazing debate. However, the complexities and socioecological implications of local knowledge are under-discussed. In this presentation, I draw from a decade of social-ecological research experience to synthesize key lessons from these efforts, with a focus on collaborative research conducted on rangelands in the USA. I outline why it is time for a critical conversation about who carries local knowledge, what it is and what it is not, and how a broader recognition of the multiple scales, types, and applications of local knowledge can improve our collaborations and management outcomes.