Sweetgrass persists only near Native communities that still harvest it

Evidence

It’s intriguing to wonder whether the regional decline in sweetgrass might be due not to overharvesting but rather to underharvesting. Laurie and I pored over the map of historical locations for sweetgrass created by a former student, Daniela Shebitz. There were blue dots where sweetgrass used to be found but has since disappeared. Red dots marked the few places where sweetgrass was reported historically and where it is still thriving. These red dots are not randomly scattered. They are clustered around Native communities, particularly those known for their sweetgrass basketry. Sweetgrass thrives where it is used and disappears elsewhere. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 579

Categorization

• SEED: An essay seed: ‘underharvesting as extinction driver’ — the testable idea that some species decline from abandonment, upending both conservation orthodoxy and nostalgia-driven preservation.
• ADDENDUM: Directly supports the trees-as-infrastructure argument’s reciprocity theme and the Eco-Justice course thread on colonial disruption severing land use that species depend on.
• XREF: connects to: A plant species persists where it is harvested respectfully and departs where ignored. — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 546; Sweetgrass flourishes when harvested and declines when left alone — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 570; Sweetgrass has become dependent on human harvesting to flourish — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,…, 578 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Sweetgrass has become dependent on human harvesting to flourish #expands (0.95) — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 578
• Sweetgrass flourishes when harvested and declines when left alone #corroborates (0.92) — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 570
• Sweetgrass renewal after harvest signals the plant’s mutual need for people #expands (0.90) — Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, 585
• Indigenous harvesting practices are environmental factors plants depend on for survival #expands (0.85) — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 499
• Some plants now depend on specific human harvesting practices to survive #expands (0.80) — Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, 499