Meredith Root-BernsteinFrench National Centre for Scientific Research | CNRS · CESCO Musée National d'Historie Naturelle
Meredith Root-Bernstein
PhD Ecology
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115
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Introduction
I am moving towards a focus on ethnobiology, which brings together my research on interdisciplinary conservation sciences, community ecology, animal behavior and environmental anthropology. Currently I am researching the restoration of the Chilean silvopastoral system, the espinal, including via restoration via rewilding with guanaco. For this project I work with the NGO I co-founded in Chile, Kintu (kinturestauracion.cl). I also have past and ongoing work in Italy and southern Africa.
Additional affiliations
Education
August 2008
October 2007 - October 2008
October 2004 - May 2008
Publications
Publications (115)
Rewilding is a flexible conservation approach that may be applicable to a wide variety of ecological, historical and socio-cultural contexts. We believe that comparative socio-ecological research on woodland habitat trajectories among contexts is an excellent opportunity to consider possible rewilding approaches. Here, we draw on a comparison betwe...
Many South American dry woodlands lack good historical or paleoecological baseline data to inform restoration and conservation. However, functionalist approaches such as those popularized by rewilding suggest that functional interactions producing target ecosystem processes are valid even without data confirming composi-tionalist values such as a l...
El presente documento es resultado del trabajo colaborativo y voluntario de un conjunto de organizaciones y personas, quienes – en octubre de 2020 - conformaron un grupo de trabajo con el objetivo de realizar una planificación estratégica para la conservación del guanaco en Chile central, donde la especie se encuentra clasificada como Vulnerable
Public perceptions and knowledge of forestry institutions are key for effective governance. Drawing from research among landholders in Chile through structured questionnaires, we examine the role that knowledge of forest regulations and agencies plays in relation to public perceptions of the forestry agency, and how tenure of forest land affects th...
Pulses, or irregular resource increases, and disturbances, or removal and reorganization of matter, have usually been used to explain different ecosystem level attributes, although with differing abilities to generate accurate predictions. There is clear overlap between the phe-nomena that the two concepts describe. Jentsch & White (2019) introduce...
Co-production of conservation projects is favored by incorporating local ecological knowledge into project design and implementation. Using a mixed method approach, we asked how the territorial practices and knowledge of cowboys and livestock farmers inform their attitudes to this proposed project. We predicted that cowboy territorial practices wou...
Attention to epistemological relationships between Indigenous and local knowledges (ILK) and conservation science is increasing. Some approaches for doing so have been developed, but in general, serious engagement between ILK and science still feels experimental and does not have broad uptake. Here we address some of the main issues that arise when...
Conservation projects in developing countries that depend on international donors or international capacity building partnerships often have to bridge a gap between donors’ or experts’ ideas of best practice and local ideas of best practice. We examine how this gap may be successfully bridged by examining the case of the Wangchuck Centennial Nation...
Shrub encroachment is understood to be an important problem facing rangeland ecosystems globally. The phenomenon is still poorly understood both in regard to its impacts ( e.g ., on diversity, productivity, and soil properties) and its causes. We study the impacts and causes of dwarf shrub encroachment in the highlands of Lesotho. There, shrubs hav...
Conservation projects in developing countries that depend on international donors or international capacity building partnerships often have to bridge a gap between donors’ or experts’ ideas of best practice and locals’ ideas of best practice. We examine how this gap may be successfully bridged by examining the case of the Wangchuck Centennial Nati...
Preserving landscape heritage elements and indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) is an increasingly popular approach in conservation. We focus on a globally very contentious practice, silvopastoral livestock raising, which along with other peasant practices, is slated for elimination according to projected Chilean conservation policy. We used ecolog...
False alarm flighting in avian flocks is common, and has been explained as a maladaptive information cascade. If false alarm flighting is maladaptive per se, then its frequency can only be explained by it being net adaptive in relation to some other benefit or equilibrium. However, I argue that natural selection cannot distinguish between false and...
Mediterranean central Chile is globally recognized as a hotspot for terrestrial biodiversity due to its high endemism and massive habitat loss. However, within the rural landscape of central Chile, significant extents of natural areas remain, especially on less productive, steep slopes, and vegetation strips extending from the surrounding hills to...
Different conceptions of disturbance differ in the degree to which they appeal to mechanisms that are general and equivalent, or species-, functional group-, or interaction-specific. Some concepts of disturbance, for example, predict that soil disturbances and herbivory have identical impacts on species richness via identical mechanisms (reduction...
Artiodactyl prey species of Chile, especially guanacos (Lama guanicoe), are reported to be very susceptible to predation by pack-hunting feral dogs. It has been previously suggested that guanacos and endemic South American deer may have evolved in the absence of pack-hunting cursorial predators. However, the paleoecology of canid presence in southe...
There has been much recent interest in the concept of rewilding as a tool for nature conservation, but also confusion over the idea, which has limited its utility. We developed a unifying definition and 10 guiding principles for rewilding through a survey of 59 rewilding experts, a summary of key organizations’ rewilding visions, and workshops invo...
Artiodactyl prey species of Chile, especially guanacos ( Lama guanicoe ) are reported to be very susceptible to predation by pack hunting feral dogs. It has been previously suggested that guanacos and endemic South American deer may have evolved in the absence of pack-hunting cursorial predators. However, the paleoecology of canid presence in south...
Traducción al español por Benjamín Silva del manuscrito original en preprint en Authorea.
The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis is widely considered to be wrong but is rarely tested against alternative hypotheses. It predicts that soil disturbances and herbivory have identical impacts on species richness via identical mechanisms (reduction in biomass and in competition). An alternative hypothesis is that the specific traits of disturb...
Preserving landscape heritage elements and indigenous and local knowledge is an increasingly popular approach in conservation. We focus on a globally very contentious practice, silvopastoral livestock raising, which along with other peasant practices, is slated for elimination according to projected Chilean conservation policy. We used ecological s...
Artiodactyl prey species of Chile, especially guanacos (Lama guanicoe) are reported to be very susceptible to predation by pack hunting feral dogs. It has been previously suggested that guanacos and endemic South American deer may have evolved in the absence of pack-hunting cursorial predators. However, the paleoecology of canid presence in souther...
River restoration is a novel paradigm of ‘mirescape’ (land-and-water-scape) management that developed along with the emergence of aquatic ecology. River restoration can be seen as the application of an ecological perspective to return rivers to nature. However, the river restoration paradigm is also the contemporary iteration of historical phases o...
In this ethnographic essay, I explore how the forest in Central Chile is being transformed. Initially interested in the ecological processes that influence the recomposition of the forest after anthropogenic disturbances, I find that the forest becomes difficult to situate in the socio-economic landscape. In a local legend, the angel Gabriel kills...
Community involvement may be essential for conservation programme success. We focus on farmers, asking how and why they believe conservation interventions will work, or not. Here we test models of folk theories of the human motivational factors required for behaviour change, in 3 rural central Chilean communities. We hypothesize that different mode...
The “human dimension” of conservation is increasingly recognised as critical for success. Most conservation research involving people is based not on explicit “theories of change”, but tacit local knowledge or folk theories guiding programme design.In this study, I propose a schematization of the local socioecological knowledge and folk theories ab...
Discussions of defaunation and taxon substitution have concentrated on megafaunal herbivores and carnivores, but mainly overlooked the particular ecological importance of megafaunal omnivores. In particular, the Homo spp. have been almost completely ignored in this context, despite the extinction of all but one hominin species present since the Pli...
Tool use has been reported in a wide range of vertebrates, but so far not in Suidae (the pigs). Suidae are widely considered to be "intelligent" and have many traits associated with tool use, so this is surprising. Here, we report the first structured observations of umprompted instrumental object manipulation in a pig, the Visayan warty pig Sus ce...
Four models of behavior change for conservation design: Research site, Cordillera de Cantillana: Central Chile is a mediterranean-climate area and global endemicity hotspot. Less than 1% of this region is protected. We interviewed and surveyed farmers, stratified by farm size (most < 10 ha). We collected data on farm production, knowledge of regula...
Rewilding is an increasingly recognized approach to conservation and restoration, among academics, land managers, and the public. Although a number of different definitions have been proposed for rewilding (see Definitions of Rewilding), most approaches called “rewilding” include ideas about restoring a habitat to a less-anthropogenic state, restor...
We propose that ribosomal RNA (rRNA) formed the basis of the first cellular genomes, and provide evidence from a review of relevant literature and proteonomic tests. We have proposed previously that the ribosome may represent the vestige of the first self-replicating entity in which rRNAs also functioned as genes that were transcribed into function...
We assess the impacts of human paths, trails, and roads on plant species richness and Shannon diversity. Most reviews of this topic have not considered community‐level measures and have focused on excessive tourism impacts. We found significant positive effects of paths on plant richness and diversity. The effect size for richness was highest when...
Rewilding is a conservation approach that is gaining increasing attention from academics, public opinion-makers, and policy makers. But what is rewilding? A large number of academic definitions coexist along with many different on-the-ground practices, and a lack of clarity at the policy level. Here, we trace the transformations of rewilding betwee...
The management of the Søby Brunkulslejer (the Søby brown coal area) landscape for deer hunting gives it a particular arrangement characterized by the alternation of dense forest, open clearings, and hochsitz (raised hunting blinds). Following the practices of landowners, hunters, and managers in the area, as situated and vernacular knowledges of de...
There are various approaches to rewilding, corresponding to different socio-ecological and policy contexts. Most South American ecosystems have experienced Pleistocene and historical defaunation and the functional persistence of many areas will depend on restoration and rewilding. Rewilding is not seen as a priority or as a tool for restoration in...
We examine the feasibility of improving connectivity between of two dryland woodland types ("espinal", a savanna type habitat, and sclerophyllous forest) in the Mediterranean climate zone of Chile, for restoration purposes. The restoration approach we examine involves the reintroduction of guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in a "transhumant rewilding" model...
We examine some unexpected epistemological conflicts that arise at the interfaces between ecological science, the ecosystem services framework, policy, and industry. We use an example from our own research to motivate and illustrate our main arguments, while also reviewing standard approaches to ecological science using the ecosystem services frame...
Nomadic pastoralism and transhumance are ancient human adaptations to the movements of large herbivores, which themselves migrate to follow favorable environmental conditions. Free-ranging livestock production has been criticized as less water efficient than factory farming and crop production. This fails to take into account both the additional ec...
Due to historical defaunation and extensive land-use changes, central Chile lacks a megafaunal flagship species with which to attract attention to conservation of the region. We compare the ease of observing potential flagship species according to their distributions in the landscape, and the practical barriers to promoting nature tourism focused o...
After centuries of range contraction, many megafauna species are recolonizing parts of Europe. One example is the red deer (Cervus elaphus), which was able to expand its range and is now found in half the areas it inhabited in the beginning of the 19th century. Herbivores are important ecosystem engineers, influencing e.g. vegetation. Knowledge on...
Illustration of the sampling site.
Graphic illustration by Thorlak Solberg (left) and photo of sampling site (right).
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Different shapes and variations of red deer droppings.
(TIF)
Examples of assessment of vegetation percentage cover.
Understory vegetation (UV), moss (Moss), bare ground (BG) and percentage density were evaluated in each subdivision of a sample site.
(DOCX)
The independent variables included into the statistical analysis of habitat selection.
There are five different types of variables: digitalized areas of different land covers within a 100-m radius buffer zone around each plot (area of one buffer zone = 31,350 m2), distances mapped from sampling site centre to the nearest feature, terrain height and...
Copyright permission Fig 1.
Granted copyright permission by ESRI.
(DOCX)
Complete original data.
File containing all data derived by fieldwork.
(XLSX)
Copyright permission Figs 1 and 2.
Granted copyright permission by COWI.
(DOCX)
The successional pathways linking the Acacia caven-dominated savanna habitat “espinal” and the closed sclerophyllous forest of central Chile have long been debated. Previously, espinal was considered an invasive degradation of closed forest that tended toward desertification, could not be restored to forest, and had little ecological value. Recent...
In contrast to theories arguing that cellular life has evolved to transmit genes, we propose instead that cellular life evolved to facilitate the full potential of self-replicating ribosomes. Our theory explicitly rejects ?master molecule? theories such as Dawkins?s ?selfish gene? in favor of the emergence of life by means of systems of increasingl...
The wild camelids wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), and vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) as well as their domestic relatives llama (Lama glama), alpaca (Vicugna pacos), dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and domestic Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) may be good candidates for rewilding, either as proxy species for extinct cameli...
Interdisciplinary research between social and environmental sciences can meet difficulties when attempting to combine qualitative and quantitative field methods. Natural history, largely sidelined from professional science, may have value as a practice with elements common to the social and environmental sciences. In this commentary, I reflect on m...
Wetland and estuary restoration presents a number of complex challenges that are primarily social, cultural, economic, and governance-related rather than ecological. Here we consider the case of wetland restoration in the Po Delta, Italy. Wetland restoration of the Po Delta is a goal of a broad range of actors in the region and this project is a re...
Migratory bird hunting has a long tradition in the Mediterranean, but remains a highly controversial issue. Here we examine the Mediterranean migratory bird hunting controversies through the case of Italy. We interviewed key informants and carried out participant observation on both legal and illegal migratory bird hunting and migratory bird protec...
We have proposed that the ribosome may represent a missing link between prebiotic chemistries and the first cells. One of the predictions that follows from this hypothesis, which we test here, is that ribosomal RNA (rRNA) must have encoded the proteins necessary for ribosomal function. In other words, the rRNA also functioned pre-biotically as mRNA...
Como demuestra este capítulo, cada SSE es distinto y se caracteriza por una lógica interna. Entender esta lógica sirve para comprender su dinámica y su futura evolución, y para diseñar métodos de manejo y gestión adecuados para aumentar su capacidad de resiliencia y adaptación. Si bien el espinal se parece, en términos ecológicos y agronómicos, a s...
Art has long been seen as a way to illustrate conservation science for public outreach, especially to children. However, art has a greater role to play as a partner in interdisciplinary practice. Here we explore four examples where early career conservationists use the production of artwork, inspired by contemporary art movements, to engage critica...
Understanding ecosystem processes is vital for developing dynamic adaptive management of human-dominated landscapes. We focus on conservation and management of the central Chilean silvopastoral savanna habitat called “espinal”, which often occurs near matorral, a shrub habitat. Although matorral, espinal and native sclerophyllous forest are linked...
Multiple forms of valuation contribute to public acceptance of conservation projects. Here, we consider how esthetic, intrinsic, and utilitarian values contribute to public attitudes toward a proposed reintroduction of guanaco (Lama guanicoe) in a silvopastoral system of central Chile. The nexus among landscape perceptions and valuations, support f...
Many steps in the evolution of cellular life are still mysterious. We suggest that the ribosome may represent one important missing link between compositional (or metabolism-first), RNA-world (or genes-first) and cellular (last universal common ancestor) approaches to the evolution of cells. We present evidence that the entire set of transfer RNAs...
Indicator species could help to compensate for a shortfall of knowledge about the diversity and distributions of undersampled and cryptic species. This paper provides background knowledge about the ecological interactions that affect and are affected by herbaceous diversity in central Chile, as part of the indicator species selection process. We fo...
Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were used to understand how urban Chileans form relationships with nature and nonhuman species in central Chile. Most informants expressed dislike of the typical mediterranean-habitat landscape, characterizing it as dry, poor, and empty. Yet many people expressed nostalgic attach-ment to specic...
Comment to: Bortolus, A. 2012. Running like Alice and losing good ideas: On the quasi-compulsive use of English by non-native English speaking scientists. AMBIO 41: 769–772. doi:10.1007/s13280-012-0339-5.Writing in Ambio, Bortolus (2012) recently argued that many non-native English-speaking environmental scientists invest a disproportionate amount...