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We are nature: A nature to be nurtured

Article · April 2023

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Christine Mae Juaneza Pestaño

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Name: Christine Mae J. Pestaño
Course & Section: Medical Biology (MEB15)
Professor: Jumel G. Estrañero
Subject: Art Appreciation

We are nature: A nature to be nurtured

Harvard University hosted the Inaugural Southeast Asian Studies Graduate Conference on April 6-8,
2023. There are several panels concerning different topics such as Land, Sea, Air, and People: The
Elements of Ecology (Panel 3), and Practices of Resistance: Art, Discourse, and the Contestation of
Political Power (Panel 5). In my case, I attended Panel 3 and there were 4 presenters that presented their
paper or research relative to the topic given to this panel. The paper presented on this panel was all
intriguing and I admire the speakers for how they managed to briefly explained the entirety of their paper
in a limited timeframe. There are two papers that stood out for me and piqued my interest the most: first is
the paper of Ms. Lizzie Yarina about the spectrums of relocation, and the second is the paper of Ms. Maria
Angelica Christy Aka and her colleague which was about the indigenous knowledge.

The paper presented by Ms. Yarina examines and categorizes various forms of environmental relocation,
such as retreat, migration, and resettlement, which are increasingly being considered and promoted as
mechanisms for adapting to environmental risks. She discussed how the present studies and practices in
relocation planning lack a typological framework for evaluating the numerous modes and norms of
risk-based movement. Her paper provides a framework coming from a perspective of environmental
design and planning disciplines. It emphasizes relocation as a spatial process shaped by environmental
risk. I believe that her paper has a lot of potential, especially in developing countries such as countries in
Southeast Asia. Moreover, I suppose her paper must be studied thoroughly and if possible, it can be
adapted by the governments globally. Advances like this could help us mitigate environmental risks that
people—not only in Asia—experience in their communities.

Next, the paper of Ms. Aka and her colleague tackled indigenous knowledge—how they respect nature
and nurture it, and their beliefs. In their presentation, they mentioned a location or island where these
indigenous people live. They believed that humans are inextricably linked to nature because humans are a
part of nature and cannot be separated from one another. Dayak people revere nature because they believe
it is an embodiment of a higher power, not just a place to live. Nature, to them, is a manifestation of
spiritual or ancestral beings. That is why they are adamant that humans cannot be separated from nature
because they are intertwined with it. As for me, their beliefs fascinate me because I believe they represent
a different perspective than what we are used to hearing; we have always believed that humans and nature
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are separate entities, whereas they believe that humans and nature are one. I believe that if everyone
thought of our nature in this way, people would be more mindful of their actions and less likely to harm
themselves, because, as Dayak people believe, nature and humans are one. Their paper gave me a new
perspective on the relationship between nature and humans, and how humans are truly dependent on
nature, so we should respect and nurture it as indigenous people do.

The seminar was packed with information, and I am glad I went because it gave me a lot of insight into
current studies and events in our environment. Overall, the panel I attended was extremely interesting,
especially the paper presented by Ms. Aka and her colleague. It was refreshing to hear that there are still
people who value and respect nature because it is a part of us and we rely on it, not the other way around.