The Role of Traditional Knowledge in Sustainable Development
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ijhss.2079Keywords:
Traditional Knowledge (TK), Sustainable Development, Indigenous Communities, Holistic Approach, Cultural PreservationAbstract
Purpose: This study sought to examine the role of traditional knowledge in sustainable development.
Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the role of traditional knowledge in sustainable development. Preliminary empirical review revealed that traditional knowledge (TK) is a crucial asset for sustainable development, offering valuable insights and practices in resource management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation. Various case studies demonstrated that TK enhances soil health, biodiversity, and food security through traditional agricultural practices. Additionally, TK provides effective strategies for climate resilience and adaptive capacity. The study emphasized the need for integrating TK into modern sustainability practices, ensuring the active participation of indigenous communities in decision-making processes and protecting their intellectual property rights, thereby creating more inclusive and equitable sustainability policies.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Ecological Systems Theory, Cultural Theory of Risk and Resilience Theory may be used to anchor future studies on the role of traditional knowledge in sustainable development. This study emphasized integrating indigenous knowledge into sustainability theories, recognizing its holistic approach. It recommended creating inclusive decision-making platforms for indigenous communities, documenting and promoting traditional practices, and developing legal frameworks to protect intellectual property rights. The study contributed to theoretical models by proposing a systems-based perspective, offered practical insights by showcasing successful applications of traditional knowledge, and highlighted the need for policies that recognize the sovereignty of indigenous peoples and promote cross-cultural collaboration for sustainable development.
Downloads
References
Aikenhead, G. S., & Ogawa, M. (2007). Indigenous knowledge and science revisited. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2(3), 539-620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-007-9067-8
Altieri, M. A. (2018). Agroecology: The science of sustainable agriculture. CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429495465
Berkes, F. (2012). Sacred ecology. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203123843
Berkes, F. (2018). Sacred Ecology (4th ed.). Routledge.
Bohensky, E. L., & Maru, Y. (2011). Indigenous knowledge, science, and resilience: What have we learned from a decade of international literature on “integration”? Ecology and Society, 16(4), 6. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-04342-160406
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press.
Davis, M. (2015). Indigenous rights and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals: Perspectives from Australia. UNSW Law Journal, 38(3), 1103-1131. https://doi.org/10.53637/unswlj
Douglas, M., & Wildavsky, A. (1982). Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technical and Environmental Dangers. University of California Press.
EIA. (2021). Renewable energy consumption in the United States increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2020. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=48696
Ens, E. J., Pert, P., Clarke, P. A., Budden, M., Clubb, L., Doran, B., & Wason, S. (2016). Indigenous biocultural knowledge in ecosystem science and management: Review and insight from Australia. Biological Conservation, 181, 133-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2014.11.008
EPA. (2020). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2019. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
Fernández-Llamazares, Á., & Cabeza, M. (2018). Rediscovering the potential of indigenous storytelling for conservation practice. Conservation Letters, 11(3), e12398. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12398
Folke, C., Carpenter, S., Walker, B., Scheffer, M., Elmqvist, T., Gunderson, L., & Holling, C. S. (2002). Resilience and sustainable development: Building adaptive capacity in a world of transformations. Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment, 31(5), 437-440. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447-31.5.437
Gadgil, M., Berkes, F., & Folke, C. (1993). Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation. Ambio, 22(2-3), 151-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02284695
Garde, M. (2018). The cultural context of traditional fire management in Australia's Western Desert. Ecological Management & Restoration, 19(S1), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/emr.12301
Gómez-Baggethun, E., & Reyes-García, V. (2013). Reinterpreting change in traditional ecological knowledge. Human Ecology, 41(4), 613-623. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-013-9577-9
Griggs, D., Stafford-Smith, M., Gaffney, O., Rockström, J., Öhman, M. C., Shyamsundar, P., & Noble, I. (2013). Policy: Sustainable development goals for people and planet. Nature, 495(7441), 305-307. DOI: 10.1038/495305a
Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and stability of ecological systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.04.110173.000245
Huffman, T. N. (2013). The archaeology of the Zuni farming system: A critical review. Journal of Archaeological Science, 40(9), 3997-4008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2013.05.020
Kimmerer, R. W. (2012). The role of traditional ecological knowledge in ecosystem science and management. Journal of Forestry, 99(1), 14-20. https://doi.org/10.1093/jof/99.1.14
Matthews, T., Lo, A. Y., & Byrne, J. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing green infrastructure for climate change adaptation: Barriers to adoption and drivers for uptake by spatial planners. Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 155-163. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.02.010
McGregor, D. (2014). Traditional knowledge and water governance: The ethic of responsibility. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 10(5), 493-507. https://doi.org/10.1177/117718011401000505
Mwangi, E., & Swallow, B. (2008). Prosopis juliflora invasion and rural livelihoods in the Lake Baringo area of Kenya. Conservation and Society, 6(2), 130-140. DOI: 10.4103/0972-4923.49210
Nyong, A., Adesina, F., & Elasha, B. O. (2007). The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 12(5), 787-797. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-007-9099-0
Posey, D. A. (2012). Cultural and spiritual values of biodiversity. United Nations Environment Programme. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849775887
Reames, T. G., Reiner, M. A., & Stacey, M. B. (2018). An incandescent truth: Disparities in energy-efficient lighting availability and prices in an urban US county. Applied Energy, 218, 95-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.02.143
Reyes-García, V., Fernández-Llamazares, Á., McElwee, P., Molnár, Z., Öllerer, K., Wilson, S. J., & Brondizio, E. S. (2019). The contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology, 27(1), 3-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12894
Ritchie, J. (2012). Titiro whakamuri: Looking back to move forward in sustainable early childhood education. International Journal of Early Childhood, 44(3), 251-263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-012-0062-5
Silva, C. A., de Almeida, A., de Oliveira, M. T., & de Souza, C. P. (2020). Forest code implementation in the Amazon: Benefits for sustainable development. Land Use Policy, 94, 104511. DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104511
Tengö, M., Brondizio, E. S., Elmqvist, T., Malmer, P., & Spierenburg, M. (2014). Connecting diverse knowledge systems for enhanced ecosystem governance: The multiple evidence base approach. Ambio, 43(5), 579-591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-014-0501-3
Tsunekawa, A., Goka, K., & Okabe, K. (2014). Japan’s efforts to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Biodiversity and Conservation, 23(6), 1531-1550. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-014-0654-4
Turpie, J. K., Marais, C., & Blignaut, J. N. (2008). The working for water programme: Evolution of a payments for ecosystem services mechanism that addresses both poverty and ecosystem service delivery in South Africa. Ecological Economics, 65(4), 788-798. DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.12.024
UNEP. (2020). State of biodiversity in Africa: A mid-term review of progress towards the Aichi biodiversity targets. United Nations Environment Programme.
United Nations (UN). (2019). Indigenous peoples and the conservation of nature. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenous-peoples-and-the-conservation-of-nature.html
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Victoria Jakes
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
