Old trees, sprouts, and seeds of the cloud forest: the voices of the campesinos

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to address the relationship between campesinos and nature. Using a case study in the Tropical Andes, we focused on the relationships between elders, adults, and children and the cloud forest. Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) are among the most diverse and most threatened ecosystems worldwide. They offer a vast number of ecosystem services to society at local, regional, and global scales. Some of these ecosystem services and the relationships between the TMCF and campesinos were studied in the rural community of Sion in Colombia’s Eastern Andes. Sion’s campesinos have built traditional ecological knowledge about TMCF and its benefits; however, this knowledge is being lost along with TMCF biodiversity. The campesinos, especially the elders, know that ecosystem services flow has changed over time and perceive reduced water and wood provision, as well as a reduction in the quantity of medicinal plants, flora, and fauna. The relationships between the forest and the people of Sion are not unidirectional; they are relations of coexistence and reciprocity, as reflected in the participants’ narratives. To help maintain biodiversity, Sion’s campesinos plant native species close to their homes and voluntarily help to conserve TMCF areas. These practices reflect people’s identity and rootedness to the forest and to the village. Efforts toward TMCF conservation, such as restoration and designation of protected areas, should include the conservation of both biological and cultural diversity.