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The access to the contents of this doctoral thesis it is limited to the acceptance of the use conditions set by the following Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en Dynamics of Local Ecological Knowledge A case study among the Baka children from southeastern Cameroon PhD Dissertation Sandrine Gallois under the supervision of Dr. Victoria Reyes-García Dr. Serge Bahuchet PhD Programme in Environmental Science and Technology Institut de Ciència I Tecnologia Ambientals, ICTA Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, UAB Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France November 2015 A vous, à vos sourires, à vos regards. A vous, qui m’avez accueilli dans vos foyers, dans vos vies. A mon frère et mes parents, pour leur courage et leur patience de savoir leur enfant loin d'eux, pour leur attention et leur éternel amour. A toi, Bernard, qui t'envolas quand e partais pour le Cameroun. A toi, Léa, chère mère de c$ur, qui n'auras pu voir comment cette merveilleuse aventure se termine. Tu es partie trop vite. This thesis has been printed on 100% recycled paper made from post-consumer fibres and certified by the Blue Angel and European Ecolabels. Note: American spelling and conventions are used in this work. Cover illustration: Yann Jézéquel Cover design: Ana Varela García Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures .................................................................................................................. iv Abstract .......................................................................................................................... v Resumen ...................................................................................................................... vii Résumé ..........................................................................................................................ix Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................xi Foreword .....................................................................................................................xiv Main acronyms and abbreviations ............................................................................... xv Part I ................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter I Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 1. Motivation and aims .................................................................................................. 1 2. Study Context and overall methodological approach ................................................ 8 3. Methodological approach ........................................................................................ 12 4. Structure of the thesis .............................................................................................. 16 Chapter II Theoretical Background .............................................................................. 20 1. Culture and cultural evolution ................................................................................. 20 2. Local ecological knowledge .................................................................................... 27 3. LEK among small-scale societies ............................................................................ 40 4. Small-scale and hunter-gatherer childhood ............................................................. 44 5. LEK acquisition among small-scale societies.......................................................... 53 Chapter III Case study .................................................................................................. 63 1. Baka literature: a general overview ......................................................................... 63 2. Ethnographic settings ............................................................................................... 79 Part II .......................................................................................................................... 113 Chapter IV Is there a children’s local ecological knowledge system? ....................... 113 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 113 2. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 116 3. Results .................................................................................................................... 122 4. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 136 Chapter V Children’s daily activities and local ecological Knowledge acquisition ... 142 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 142 2. The Baka ................................................................................................................ 145 3. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 147 4. Results .................................................................................................................... 154 5. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 167 i Chapter VI On the multiple strategies of learning: LEK acquisition during middle childhood and adolescence ........................................................................................... 175 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 175 2. The Baka ................................................................................................................ 179 3. Methods ................................................................................................................. 180 4. Results .................................................................................................................... 185 5. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 208 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 214 Chapter VII How do social changes affect children's daily activities and LEK acquisition? Exploring parental livelihoods strategies ................................................. 216 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 216 2. The Baka ................................................................................................................ 218 3. Methods ................................................................................................................. 219 4. Results .................................................................................................................... 223 5. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 233 6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 237 Chapter VIII How social changes might affect LEK acquisition? Exploring local perceptions on Baka own culture ................................................................................. 239 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 239 2. The Baka ................................................................................................................ 242 3. Research setting and methodology ........................................................................ 246 4. Results .................................................................................................................... 251 5. Discussion .............................................................................................................. 262 Chapter IX Conclusions .............................................................................................. 268 1. Theoretical contributions ....................................................................................... 268 2. Caveats and limitations .......................................................................................... 272 3. Methodological contributions ................................................................................ 273 4. Further research ..................................................................................................... 275 5. Policy implications ................................................................................................ 276 References...................................................................................................................