11:30 AM - 11:45 AM
[HGG01-09] Framing dialogues on changes in geo-ecological features and human societies in Montane Mainland Southeast Asia
Keywords:environment, disaster, SE-Asia, Human geo-ecology, Anthropocene
The Montane Mainland Southeast Asia (MMSEA) are mountainous highlands ranging from c.a. 500 to 2000 m above sea level extending from eastern Myanmar, northern Thailand, northern Laos, northwestern Vietnam, to Yunnan Province of China. Climatically, the area has distinct wet and dry seasons. In the rainy season, frequently short, intensive rain and occasionally long, heavy rain are caused by the Asian and Indian summer monsoons. People of various ethnic minorities have lived in the area at least for centuries by relying on natural resources for their livelihoods.
The Lake Inle catchment on the Shan Plateau in Myanmar is located in the western part of the MMSEA. Ethnic minorities including Shan, Pa-O, Taungyo, Palaung and Intha live in the catchment and cultivate lowlands (i.e. stream valleys) for rice paddy and mountain slopes for other dry crops. In this catchment, a large amount of sediment and polluted water has been delivered to the lake area, which have caused negative impacts on the lake environment (Furuichi 2007, Yuasa 2021). The environmental degradation appears to be rooted by various socio-economic changes in the mountain villages, namely, intensity of usage of forest resources, ways of usage of mountain slopes for agriculture, village economy in which cash is required; that is change in livelihoods (Okamoto 2018, 2019).
It is also increasingly recognized that changes in usage of forest resources and mountain slopes in the MMSEA have been inducing mountain disasters such as landslides and debris flows (Furuichi et al. 2021). In the mountains of northwestern Vietnam, recent heavy rains have triggered landslides and sediment disasters in several areas, which was likely facilitated by change in land-use (Murakami et al. in prep).
Here, we discuss several frameworks of cross-disciplinary dialogues, primarily based on the previous and on-going researches in the MMSEA.
1. Cross-disciplinary dialogue beyond science
On the environmental degradation in Lake Inle and mountain disasters in northwestern Vietnam, the role of earth and social sciences is to quantitatively uncover the geo-ecological mechanisms causing the degradation and disaster and to objectively understand the reality of livelihoods of mountain villages, respectively. However, without the dialogue between the geo-ecological and socio-economic analyses of mountain landscapes and villages, we are unable to explore how to take measures for reduction and solution of degradation. The dialogue in this context may be beyond science, but without it we will lose the research direction; Where are we heading?
2. Cross-disciplinary dialogue as a scientific method
However, the modern science has placed dialogue between geo-ecological and socio-economic analyses on its methodology. ‘Human ecology’ (we here call it ‘human geo-ecology’) aims at objectively analyzing various forms of relationships and feedbacks between geo-ecological features of the Earth and human and society. It seems constructive for the earth and social sciences to pay more attention to dialogue as a scientific method for combining the knowledge of the Earth and the human socio-economy.
3. Time-scales for cross-disciplinary dialogue
Analysis on relationships and feedbacks between the earth and humans requires corresponding time-scales (Ueda et al. 2021). In the MMSEA since the mid-20th century, the economy and society of the mountain ethnic minorities and consequently geo-ecological features around them have been impacted by changes in the political relationships with the nations developed in the large plains (Okamoto 2019). This time-scale is almost equivalent to the notion of a geological era of Anthropocene. At the same time, it is also valuable to study ‘traditional’ relationships and feedbacks between the Earth and humans before the mid-20th century and critically discuss if the traditional ones are sustainable under the modern socio-economic reality in the mountain societies.
The Lake Inle catchment on the Shan Plateau in Myanmar is located in the western part of the MMSEA. Ethnic minorities including Shan, Pa-O, Taungyo, Palaung and Intha live in the catchment and cultivate lowlands (i.e. stream valleys) for rice paddy and mountain slopes for other dry crops. In this catchment, a large amount of sediment and polluted water has been delivered to the lake area, which have caused negative impacts on the lake environment (Furuichi 2007, Yuasa 2021). The environmental degradation appears to be rooted by various socio-economic changes in the mountain villages, namely, intensity of usage of forest resources, ways of usage of mountain slopes for agriculture, village economy in which cash is required; that is change in livelihoods (Okamoto 2018, 2019).
It is also increasingly recognized that changes in usage of forest resources and mountain slopes in the MMSEA have been inducing mountain disasters such as landslides and debris flows (Furuichi et al. 2021). In the mountains of northwestern Vietnam, recent heavy rains have triggered landslides and sediment disasters in several areas, which was likely facilitated by change in land-use (Murakami et al. in prep).
Here, we discuss several frameworks of cross-disciplinary dialogues, primarily based on the previous and on-going researches in the MMSEA.
1. Cross-disciplinary dialogue beyond science
On the environmental degradation in Lake Inle and mountain disasters in northwestern Vietnam, the role of earth and social sciences is to quantitatively uncover the geo-ecological mechanisms causing the degradation and disaster and to objectively understand the reality of livelihoods of mountain villages, respectively. However, without the dialogue between the geo-ecological and socio-economic analyses of mountain landscapes and villages, we are unable to explore how to take measures for reduction and solution of degradation. The dialogue in this context may be beyond science, but without it we will lose the research direction; Where are we heading?
2. Cross-disciplinary dialogue as a scientific method
However, the modern science has placed dialogue between geo-ecological and socio-economic analyses on its methodology. ‘Human ecology’ (we here call it ‘human geo-ecology’) aims at objectively analyzing various forms of relationships and feedbacks between geo-ecological features of the Earth and human and society. It seems constructive for the earth and social sciences to pay more attention to dialogue as a scientific method for combining the knowledge of the Earth and the human socio-economy.
3. Time-scales for cross-disciplinary dialogue
Analysis on relationships and feedbacks between the earth and humans requires corresponding time-scales (Ueda et al. 2021). In the MMSEA since the mid-20th century, the economy and society of the mountain ethnic minorities and consequently geo-ecological features around them have been impacted by changes in the political relationships with the nations developed in the large plains (Okamoto 2019). This time-scale is almost equivalent to the notion of a geological era of Anthropocene. At the same time, it is also valuable to study ‘traditional’ relationships and feedbacks between the Earth and humans before the mid-20th century and critically discuss if the traditional ones are sustainable under the modern socio-economic reality in the mountain societies.