Skip to main content

Traditional and Local Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Empowering the Indigenous and Local Communities of the World

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Partnerships for the Goals

Synonyms

Indigenous and local knowledge

Definition

Traditional and local knowledge is the collective body of knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities worldwide (UN 1992). In this context, “traditional” implies that the knowledge is gained through extensive experience in a specific place, landscape, or ecosystem and carried from one generation to the next (Curci 2010).

Traditional and local knowledge is a significant component of human-environment relationships in local ecosystems. Indigenous peoples have depended on nature for their survival for generations, thus developing a strong connection with their habitat and an understanding of their environment based on observation and experience. Local communities have developed a mastery of their environs that has shaped and sustained their intergenerational livelihoods, including crop farming, farm animal rearing, and beekeeping.

In the process, indigenous peoples and local communities learn to...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ryo Kohsaka .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Kohsaka, R., Rogel, M. (2019). Traditional and Local Knowledge for Sustainable Development: Empowering the Indigenous and Local Communities of the World. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A., Brandli, L., Özuyar, P., Wall, T. (eds) Partnerships for the Goals. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71067-9_17-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71067-9_17-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71067-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71067-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics