Changing Tides: An Ecologist's Journey to Make Peace with the Anthropocene

by Alejandro Frid

Change the story and change the future – merging science and Indigenous knowledge to steer us towards a more benign Anthropocene In Changing Tides , Alejandro Frid tackles the big who, or what, represents our essential selves, and what stories might allow us to shift the collective psyche of industrial civilization in time to avert the worst of the climate and biodiversity crises? Merging scientific perspectives with Indigenous knowledge might just help us change the story we tell ourselves about who we are and where we could go. As humanity marches on, causing mass extinctions and destabilizing the climate, the future of Earth will very much reflect the stories that Homo sapiens decide to jettison or accept today into our collective identity. At this pivotal moment in history, the most important story we can be telling ourselves is that humans are not inherently destructive. In seeking the answers, Frid draws from a deep well of personal experience and that of Indigenous colleagues, finding a glimmer of hope in Indigenous cultures that, despite the ravishes of colonialism, have for thousands of years developed intentional and socially complex practices for resource management that epitomize sustainability. Changing Tides is for everyone concerned with the irrevocable changes we have unleashed upon our planet and how we might steer towards a more benign Anthropocene. AWARDS

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Climate Change, Indigenous, Ecology, Science, Environment

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

Dr. Alejandro Frid is an ecologist for First Nations of British Columbia’s Central Coast, working at the interface of conservation science and social justice. For over two decades, his research experience has spanned from conflicts between industrial development and terrestrial wildlife to the plight of endangered species and the effects of overfishing on marine predators. Born and raised in Mexico City, twice arrested for civil disobedience against fossil fuel companies and their climate-destroying emissions, and spending his adult life in British Columbia and the Yukon, he inhabits the worlds of science, modern indigenous cultures and climate activism.

Reviews

[Hákon Gunnarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Factfulness, which according to the authors is a book about facts, and how the world is actually better than we think it is. They managed show the world is better than we think (at least in the part that was about animals) through Pollyannaism, and selective use of data. To me that felt less about positivity through understanding of the facts, and more about trying to hold on to a world view through self delusions.

So why am I talking about Factfulness here? Well, because Alejandro Frid also presents us with a positive view of the world. The difference is that he does it not by looking past the Anthropocene, and climate change, but by looking at how we could actually make a difference to the situation. To me that is a real positivity.

Alejandro Frid is a ecologist, who conducts research on marine ecology and conservation with the First Nations of British Columbia's Central Coast. And this book is very much about who we can merge modern science and Indigenous knowledge to help us find a better way in our relationship with nature. As it is called in the blurb: “steer us towards a more benign Anthropocene,” which sounds like a tall order, but he manages it quite well actually.

It’s a book that reminds me a bit of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Both authors write a very good blend of personal story / science, and Frid quotes Kimmerer a few times in his book. So there is a slight connection here. But at the same time they are quite different, one focuses on marine life, while the other on plant life.

Still both are wonderful.

There is no complete solution to the Anthropocene, or climate crisis here, but then again I suppose there is no single solution those things, but he does manage to present a doable reaction to certain things. Basically it is to reconnect to places, and the wildlife, and start to understand that we are part of the planet, and not above it. It’s a beautifully done book, well written, and so quotable. I’m going to read this again someday.

[Shae Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frid writes compellingly about changing the narrative that humans are inherently destructive, and the positive outcomes he and Indigenous nations in coastal BC have achieved by merging Traditional Ecological Knowledge and western science in working toward common goals of safeguarding fish and wildlife while fighting for social justice. Told from the perspective of an ecologist trained in western science, working for and with various Indigenous nations. Also provides a look into the (still) inherently colonial and racist practices of DFO.

[Gwen Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word - hopeful - about what the non-indigenous can learn from indigenous peoples about respecting and cultivating ecosystems. Alejandro Frid is an ecologist for First Nations of British Columbia working with them to regain control over their resources while also bridging their traditional knowledge and the "science" of federal and provincial governments. Frid writes beautifully about the marine life he sees and the people he comes to know in his studies. In his words:

"I am the ecologist and science coordinator for the Central Coast Indigenous Resource Alliance, which the Wuikinuxv, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, and Kitasoo/Xai'xais First Nations have created to join forces in the proactive management of resources within their territories. Our studies of rockfish and other marine organisms - including Pacific herring and Dungeness cabs - are part of an effort to support conservation and fishery management by cultures that are both grounded in ancient traditions and very much part of the modern worlds." (p 3)

Where these two worlds have been bridged - when Eurocentric science (the doctrine of government fishery departments) absorbs the lessons from the indigenous and incorporates them in their programs there is recovery in stock and habitat. Frid is optimistic, but clearly, we need to move quickly.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

I put it down after reading the first quarter. It just feels like this book doesn't need to exist: it doesn't seem to be saying anything new or valuable, and it just seems like the author was caught up in his own verbosity.

The question of "Who or what represents our essential selves?" (which is what the author claimed this book to be an answer to) is not one of ecology, but history, psychology, and sociology. For a book that claims to find new truths or a better view or reality by trying to merge science and indigenous ways of knowing, it also doesn't balk at tossing out uncited (and untrue) urban legends as if they are facts, and the author regularly steps out of his field to pontificate, again without citations or evidence.

[David P. Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lone from a student who guessed I might like this book about the intelligence of coastal communities in BC who are imagining a ‘more benign Anthropocene’ - I am always happy to spend time when authors work to create dialogue with science and indigenous knowledge and this book is a gem.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well described observations and perspective.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scribd Audio

While I felt the jargon of this was too overwhelming to get anything significant out of the text, I did appreciate learning about the cultural ecosystem studies. It’s not a research field I encounter often and is something I’d be interested in reading about on a broader scale.