Ecological Autoethnography

My work researching transformative and spiritual autoethnography has expanded to investigating ways to incorporate ecological autoethnography for social transformation. Conflict resolution is central in ecological challenges that polarize communities, creating barriers to effective problem-solving. This method can be used as a tool for environmental research.
 
As we work collaboratively in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research projects, it is important to use methods that reinforce reflexivity and enhance collaborative practices. The complex situations that environmental research encounters in the field have been shown to benefit from ecological autoethnography. Employing autoethnographic practice to integrate the qualitative aspects of projects that address personal experience in the context of challenging societal issues that encompass social, economic, and political considerations can advance best practices. Ecological autoethnography is a valuable tool in a researcher’s toolkit. Using autoethnography to investigate and explore the human dimensions and imagine problem-solving approaches in ecology and environmental research, reinforces holistic approaches in polarizing contexts.
 
Narrative approaches to conflict resolution that incorporate ecological autoethnography can enhance understanding and communication throughout the different phases of research. Applied ecological autoethnography can also allow researchers to better anticipate challenges as in human-wildlife conflicts. Autoethnographic case studies allow researchers to identify patterns that emerge, anticipating problems that may arise in future projects, and establishing objective lessons from subjective experiences. It is also a method that allows researchers to report critical issues encountered in the field that can help future work. Applied ecological autoethnography captures the full context of the research incorporating the human problems that ecologists encounter. These insights can help researchers work in more holistic ways that can also better inform policymakers that are often challenged to implement policies that have been known to create political polarization.
 
Storying ecological contexts can also help bridge academic research with community planning and government decision-making. Learning in interdisciplinary fields and reflecting upon holistic approaches to ecological problem-solving can improve research collaborations. In this way, applied ecological autoethnography is a translational research method that links academic knowledgeability to community needs. This approach can transform past mistakes into future opportunities. Autoethnographic practice highlights the human interactions but can also allow us to better understand human and nonhuman relationships. Anthropology recognizes the merits of this ethnographic method. Applying ecological autoethnography for environmental research is a promising future forming approach. Here is an article that explains applied autoethnography in environmental research:
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.14252

The Alpine Mountainscape