Conserving the Environment through Memory Research: A Case Study of Western Australia

Abstract

This paper develops the concept 'botanical memory' through an analysis of interviews conducted with indigenous plant enthusiasts in the biodiverse Southwest of Western Australia. Focusing on the everyday practices constituting botanical memory, this paper posits a material-affective framework to foreground the dynamics between plants, people, objects, and remembrance. The writings of Henry David Thoreau and C. Nadia Seremetakis, in conjunction with affect and materiality theory, proffer conceptual anchor points for the exploration of human recollection and flora. The interviews indicate that plant-based objects and living plants deepen human memory, particularly through their appeal to touch, taste, smell, and sensation.