Ecological knowledge is lost in wealthier communities and countries

With economic growth comes loss of ecological knowledgeEcological knowledge, accumulated knowledge about nature, is an important factor in people's ability to manage and conserve the environment. S.E. Pilgrim and colleagues conducted a cross-cultural, large-scale study to investigate whether there is an association between economic growth and ecological knowledge. The authors examined two levels of ecological knowledge (the names of living components of ecosystems and the functions and uses of these components) within a diversity of communities from India, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom. Using ethnobotanical surveys with photographs of local species, Pilgrim and colleagues interviewed more than 1,000 people across the three countries, documenting their ability to identify local plant species and their uses. The authors found a strong negative correlation between ecological knowledge and income levels