Exclusionary Western Approaches to Knowing and Doing Ecology

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Reading Reflection of Decoloniality
Introduction
The environmental effects of colonialism are examined in the study "Colonial Legacies in Ecological Networks" by M. Dáttilo and others. Even though the article focuses primarily on the effects of colonialism on ecological networks, it also demonstrates how Western ecological science aided colonialism and colonial industries. Exclusionary Western ecologists rarely consider non-Western ecological knowledge systems. These methods prioritize reductionist, mechanistic, and quantitative methodologies over indigenous ecological knowledge. Western ecology values science and universal laws.
Western Scientific Ecology
The piece is mostly about how colonialism changed ecological networks, but it also shows how Western ecological science helped colonialism and colonial industries. During colonialism, scientific ecology from the West was a key part of justifying and backing the growth of colonial empires and using colonial resources (Trisos et al., 1206). Ecologists and naturalists from the West did a lot of study and writing about the natural resources and ecosystems in areas that had been colonized. Western scientific ecology gave us a way to organize and group natural resources so that they could be more easily extracted and used. It helped me understand why complex ecosystems were turned into landscapes good for colonial businesses like farming, mining, and forestry. (Trisos et al., 1208). Also, ecological information from the West was used to bring in and establish non-native species for economic reasons, such as cash crops or livestock in colonial territories. But they were good for the economy of colonial businesses.
Ecological Impacts of Colonialism
By looking at ecological networks in colonized areas, the study shows how colonialism has changed what we know about climate change. I found through research that using resources and land to support colonialism hurt the environment. Deforestation, plantations, and bringing in non-native species are the things that hurt woods the most (Trisos et al., 1205). The impact of colonialism on forests and ecosystems changes what we know about global warming. Our temperature data is based on ecological settings after colonialism, which makes global warming look different.
The "natural" relationship between people and woods before colonization is hard to see. Colonization has changed how we measure temperature and other climate factors (Dhillon, 484). This goes against the idea that people and trees have a "natural" connection. People have changed trees so much, especially through colonization, that it is hard to tell the difference between human actions and natural biological processes.
Decoloniality
The term "decoloniality" refers to a combination of theories and activities that try to confront and remove the long-lasting consequences of colonialism in the article "Colonial legacies in ecological networks" by M. Dáttilo et al. It tries to address the power disparities, epistemic hegemony, and cultural imperialism that continue to impact many facets of society, including politics, the environment, and education (Trisos et al.). While decoloniality examines a wider variety of conce...