Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Iranian Journal Of Antheropology

Meaning, Sign and Survival in the Forest: Applying Eduardo Cohen's Approach to the Ecology of Hyrcanian Forests: A Multispecies Ethnographic Study of the Baliran Forest, Amol

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
Ghasem Hasani
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
10.22034/jasi.2026.2080577.1599
Abstract
This article examines the complex interactions between humans and nonhuman species in Iran’s forest ecosystems through an interspecies approach. Moving beyond a strictly anthropocentric perspective, it conceptualizes the forest as a dynamic network of agencies shaped by reciprocal relations among humans, plants, animals, and fungi. Rather than treating the forest as a passive reservoir of resources, the study foregrounds its role as an active system of communication, meaning-making, and co-production.
The research draws on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews with local communities possessing extensive indigenous ecological knowledge, and close observation of multispecies interactions within forest environments. These observations encompass not only visible practices such as hunting, foraging, and animal behavior, but also semiotic processes, including chemical signaling among plants and fungi, structural transformations in vegetation, and patterned animal responses to environmental change.
The findings demonstrate that forests continuously generate and exchange biosemiotic signals—such as fungal scents, plant stress responses, and animal movements—that regulate ecological processes and sustain multispecies life. For local human communities, these signs carry practical and symbolic significance. Over generations, inhabitants have learned to interpret and respond to them, integrating this knowledge into livelihood strategies, healing practices, and forms of sustainable forest management.
The article concludes by arguing that adopting an interspecies perspective is essential for rethinking conservation and management policies in Iran’s forest ecosystems. Recognizing nonhuman agency and semiotic participation enables a shift away from top-down, technocratic models toward participatory, community-based approaches that enhance ecological resilience and long-term sustainability.
Keywords
Interspecies relations
Multispecies ethnography
Biosemiotics
More-than-human agency
Indigenous ecological knowledge
Hyrcanian forests
Biliran
Subjects
 
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Iranian Journal Of Antheropology
Volume 22, Issue 40
September 2025
Pages 111-135