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Home Gardenscapes as Sustainable Landscape Management on St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean

Author

Listed:
  • Briana N. Berkowitz

    (Department of Geography, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA)

  • Kimberly E. Medley

    (Department of Geography, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA)

Abstract

Home gardens are an important topic for landscape research due to their intersectional contributions to plant diversity conservation and local livelihoods. As sites of ecological restoration, gardens transform small-scale landscapes toward higher plant richness and density. We examine “gardenscapes” on St. Eustatius, a small Caribbean island, focusing on how plants growing around a home contribute to ecological and ethnobotanical measures of plant diversity, and how residents value the importance of gardens to their livelihoods. Through a survey of 14 gardenscapes and 11 home interviews, we report 277 plant species, including 31% native and 69% non-native, high plant densities and structural evenness, 260 plants with uses, and a total of 363 uses, especially as ornamental plants (184) and for other environmental services (16), but also food (101), health remedies (50), material uses (10) and symbolic services (2). Participants indicated that home gardening could be difficult due to drought and pests, but provided resources and incomes to livelihoods, especially through the production of food products. Several respondents reported that gardening was a declining activity on St. Eustatius, but this study shows how gardening activities offer a biocultural approach to conservation that supports plant diversity and livelihoods across the island’s highly-modified natural landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Briana N. Berkowitz & Kimberly E. Medley, 2017. "Home Gardenscapes as Sustainable Landscape Management on St. Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-20, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:8:p:1310-:d:106079
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Elizabeth Deloughrey, 2004. "Island Ecologies And Caribbean Literatures1," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 95(3), pages 298-310, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Setiani Setiani & Eko Setiawan & Wen-Chi Huang, 2022. "Taneyan Lanjang Shared Home Gardens and Sustainable Rural Livelihoods of Ethnic Madurese in Madura Island, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-24, May.
    2. Ziyan Wang & Cheng Wang & Zehui Jiang & Tao Hu & Wenjing Han & Chang Zhang & Jiali Jin & Kaiyue Wei & Jiao Zhao & Xinyu Wang, 2020. "Relationship between Rural Settlements’ Plant Communities and Environmental Factors in Hilly Area of Southeast China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-17, April.
    3. Mintai Kim & SangHyun Cheon & Youngeun Kang, 2019. "Use of Electroencephalography (EEG) for the Analysis of Emotional Perception and Fear to Nightscapes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Paul Opdam, 2018. "Exploring the Role of Science in Sustainable Landscape Management. An Introduction to the Special Issue," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-6, January.
    5. Alicia L. Rihn & Melinda J. Knuth & Bryan J. Peterson & Ariana P. Torres & Julie H. Campbell & Cheryl R. Boyer & Marco A. Palma & Hayk Khachatryan, 2022. "Investigating Drivers of Native Plant Production in the United States Green Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, June.

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