Karim-Aly Kassam

Guidelines for Incorporating Biocultural Diversity into Northern Forest Resource Management

Northern Maine;
Photo credit: Michelle Baumflek

The goal of this policy-driven research was to develop guidelines for incorporating biological and cultural diversity into Northern Forest resource management. In collaboration with Mi’kmaq and Maliseet communities of northern Maine and New Brunswick, we documented valuable knowledge related to plant gathering, cultivation, and use. Stewardship guidelines for culturally-important plant species of the Northern Forest were collaboratively created for use by Tribal institutions and other resource managers. Research outcomes were incorporated into curriculum material for public schools in Maine and undergraduate programs of study.

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Land Acknowledgement

This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' leadership.

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫ' people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

Professor Kassam offers his respects to past, present, and emergent Elders of Indigenous Peoples.