Conservation biology, restoration ecology, and a Navajo view of nature

The renaissance of ecologically based forestry over the past decade has led some individuals within the natural resource management professions to incorporate concepts articulated by conservation biologists and restoration ecologists in resource management decisions. However, many within these professions who embrace the traditional western science tradition of natural resource management resist some of the premises advanced by conservation biologists and restoration ecologists as unscientific and too metaphysical. Navajo traditionanalists, on the other hand, hold values which strongly support many of these premises. This paper explores key concepts of conservation biology and restoration ecology from the perspective of traditional Navajo culture. Central to Navajo religion and culture is the concept of Sa'e NagMi Blk'e ("walking toward the sacred way"), which expresses happiness, health, and beauty of land as well as the harmony of the interrelationship of individuals with their environment. Holistic thinking in maintaining a harmonious relationship with the land is a central foundation of a Navajo cultural perspective