Indigenous Knowledge as key to sustainable development

Here at Justmeans, we talk a lot about CSR and social engagement in business and the public sector. We could even say that public engagement - from social media to including the public in scientific policy decision making processes to the real needs of greater transparency is a key element of our current transitional moments. What we sometimes forget is that the 'public' is quite diverse. Sometimes the 'public' includes indigenous peoples. Those who engage in sustainable development have long known that indigenous knowledge makes a substantial difference- especially environmental issues. It is somewhat ironic that some of the greatest global challenges of our time have benefitted from indigenous, local, largely pre-industrial knowledge.

We know that indigenous knowledge can be particularly useful. The knowledge of how forests operate, how and where species travel, what plants produce what valuable medicines, what signs to look for in order to know when to plant, how to engage in managing the savannas and the plains, sustainable harvesting, etc. all contain lessons that scientists can learn from. Too often, it becomes a debate: scientific knowledge versus indigenous knowledge. Really, that tension is not helpful for sustainable development. The two need to be in ongoing, mutually supportive dialogue. Mutually supportive means that indigenous people should hold the intellectual property rights of those medicines which they brought into western knowledge systems. edge. And it means a mutual respect (which generally means that scientists need to respect indigenous people; the other way around is usually a slightly smaller problem) for different processes of gathering knowledge - and perhaps greater integration of those process to encourage the co-production of knowledge.

This is all easier said that done. The UN FCCC does not include respect and use of indigenous knowledge for climate change in its recommendations. Indigenous knowledge is rarely highlighted or used in climate change adaptation or mitigation efforts. It would be interesting to find out how much indigenous knowledge is brought into the IPCC, and if there have ever been any joint papers by indigenous knowledge 'experts' and scientists (I know of no such endeavor). At this point, sustainable development throughout Africa and South America will depend upon successful adaptation and mitigation strategies, especially around natural resource management (especially of the Amazon rainforest, which is essential to preserve). Successful adaptation will require a combination of both scientific knowledge (the more people know about what will happen at mesa and local levels the better) and indigenous knowledge, which can help support more sustainable livelihoods in the face of global change.