Bridging Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge

A paper published in Science – one of the world's top academic journals – argues that there are significant limits to a purely scientific approach in engaging with complex, and growing, global issues such as climate change. Bridging Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge, co-authored by Jay Mistry (Royal Holloway) and Andrea Berardi (OU), suggests instead that local and context-specific Indigenous knowledge should be prioritised.

Citing findings from the analysis of satellite imagery, the paper's authors highlight that Indigenous lands contribute substantially to maintaining carbon stocks and enhancing biodiversity compared to adjoining territory, and argue that Indigenous land-use practices could therefore play a fundamental role in controlling deforestation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

However, despite a growing recognition of the relevance of local knowledge systems for conservation, the tendency to validate these through scientific knowledge, and/or to assimilate them within Western worldviews remains.

This not only serves to undermine Indigenous worldviews, but wastes precious time. In the case of climate change, while the scientific community remains in conflict over impacts and potential targets for mitigation, Indigenous communities have already put in place successful strategies. The paper thus concludes that it is time to encourage a two-way exchange of understanding.

In the view of the authors, real-world problems must first engage with those communities most affected, enabling them to communicate their own solutions according to their own understandings and beliefs. A view that, in light of Science’s acceptance of a paper that is explicit about the limitations of the scientific approach, looks set to become increasingly mainstream.

Read Bridging Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge, or read more about why bridging traditional knowledge and environmental science matters in a blogpost by Jay Mistry.