Conservation at the Interface: Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Science

Course description

Humans have been making decisions about the environment since time immemorial, and different societies and cultures have approached the environment in diverse ways. In this three-part course we will explore aspects of local knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge, and Indigenous knowledge. A core focus will be the relationships between Indigenous knowledge systems and western scientific knowledge, and the opportunities and challenges on the path towards interweaving the two in support of improved environmental conservation strategies and Indigenous rights resurgence. The environmentally-oriented knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples are increasingly recognized as having relevance in research exploring biological diversity and ecology, for informing environmental conservation goals and practices, and as a stand-alone form of environmental management that has been applied for millennia.