Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS)

Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation

By Nakashima, D., Krupnik, I. and Rubis, J.T. 2018

Of interest to policy-makers, social and natural scientists, and indigenous peoples and experts, this book provides an indispensable reference for those interested in climate science, policy and adaptation. Chapters, written by indigenous peoples, scientists and development experts, provide insight into how diverse societies observe and adapt to changing environments.

Women’s Knowledge: Traditional Medicine and Nature (Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues)

By Laurence Pourchez, 120 pp, 2017.
The Islands of Reunión, Mauritius and Rodrigues have their own unique medical traditions that have emerged from multiple origins through a process of creolisation. This book brings to our attention the knowledge of medicinal plants and medical practices of the women of these islands, with special focus on childbirth. It also considers the place of medicinal knowledge within these evolving societies which are actively confronting the threats and opportunities that globalization poses to local identities.

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Americas

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Americas.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in Bolivia, Sucre (20-22 July 2016) contributes ILK to the Americas regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Practices related to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Asia

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Asia.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand (26–28 June 2016) with additional inputs from the subregional workshop in Dhulikhel, Nepal (29 November–2 December 2016) contributes ILK to the Asia-Pacific regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Europe and Central Asia(ECA)

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Europe and Central Asia.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in UNESCO, Paris (11-13 January 2016) contributes ILK to the Europe and Central Asia regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Africa 

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Africa.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in UNESCO, Paris (14–16 September 2015) contributes ILK to the African regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Indigenous Peoples and the Information Society: Emerging uses of ICTs

“In the evolution of the Information Society, particular attention must be given to the special situation of Indigenous Peoples, as well as to the preservation of their heritage and their cultural legacy.”

Indigenous and Local Knowledge about Pollination and Pollinators associated with Food Production

Outcomes from the Global Dialogue Workshop

Echoes at Fishermen’s Rock – Traditional Tokelau Fishing 
Edited and translated by Antony Hooper and Iuta Tinielu, 2010

This straightforward manual is a collection of the traditional techniques for the capture of crabs, bird and especially fish of the lagoon, the reef and the open ocean of Tokelau. As such, it introduces the various species and thus the rich biodiversity of the small Pacific island country.

Weathering Uncertainty Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation 
UNESCO-UNU, 2012
'In recent years there has been a growing awareness that scientific knowledge alone is inadequate for solving the climate crisis. The knowledge of local and indigenous peoples is increasingly recognized as an important source of climate knowledge and adaptation strategies.' This new UNESCO-UNU publication is an outcome of an initiative on 'Indigenous Peoples, Marginalized Populations and Climate Change', a partnership that consists of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, UNESCO and UN University.

Matenek Lokal, Timor Nian! (Traditional Knowledge of Timor!) 
Edited by Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho, 98 pp, 2011 [available in Tetum]
Written in local language (Tetum), the nine-papers book explore the various aspects of local and traditional knowledge and its relation to nature conservation, land management and natural resource management, and industry.

The Jarawa Tribal Reserve Dossier: Cultural & Biological Diversities in the Andaman Islands 
Edited by Pankaj Sekhsaria and Vishvajit Pandya. 212pp. Paris: UNESCO, 2010 
One of the most distinctive, but relatively little known features of the Andaman Islands is an entity of land and sea called the Jarawa Tribal Reserve (JTR) – a space legally notified in the name and, arguably, the interests of the Jarawa tribal community. As much information relating to the Jarawa and the Reserve remains scattered and difficult to access, this Dossier has undertaken to bring together within the covers of one publication, information and views about the JTR emanating from a number of distinct disciplines.

Mayangna Knowledge of the Interdependence of People and Nature: Fish and Turtles
[Conocimientos del Pueblo Mayangna sobre la Convivencia del Hombre y la Naturaleza: Peces y Tortugas]
By Paule M Gros and Nacilio Miguel Frithz, 2010 [available in Spanish and Mayangna] 
The Central American tropical rainforest along the border between Nicaragua and Honduras has been the home of the indigenous Mayangna and Miskito for centuries. Their knowledge about the local flora and fauna is extensive and in-depth. This 450 page book – divided into two volumes - captures in meticulous detail the breadth and depth of indigenous knowledge about the aquatic world including a wide range of information about the 30 fishes and six turtles that frequent Mayangna waterways.

Climate Change and Arctic Sustainable Development
Scientific, social, cultural and educational challenges
UNESCO, 2009, 376 pp.
Forewords by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and the UNESCO Director-General 
This book brings together the knowledge, concerns and visions of leading Arctic scientists in the natural and social sciences, prominent Chukchi, Even, Inuit and Saami leaders from across the circumpolar North, and international experts in education, health and ethics. They highlight the urgent need for a sustained interdisciplinary and multi-actor approach to monitoring, managing and responding to climate change in the Arctic, and explore avenues by which this can be achieved.

Learning and Knowing in Indigenous Societies Today
Edited by P. Bates, M. Chiba, S. Kube & D. Nakashima, UNESCO: Paris, 128 pp., 2009.
The loss of their specialised knowledge of nature is a grave concern for many indigenous communities throughout the world. Education, as it is understood in a Western context, occupies a pivotal role in this process, highlighted by many as both a major cause of the decline of indigenous knowledge, and also as a potential remedy for its demise. Commendable efforts are being made to better align educational curricula with indigenous realities and to incorporate local knowledge and language content into school curricula, but the interrelationship and balance between these two different ways of learning remain delicate. These issues, and attempts to address them, are explored within this UNESCO publication...

Fishers' Knowledge in Fisheries Science and Management 
Edited by Nigel Haggan, Barbara Neis and Ian G. Baird. Coastal Management Sourcebooks 4. UNESCO, 437 pp., 2007
This book focuses on how and where fishers' knowledge – indigenous and artisanal, as well as large and small-scale commercial – is being put to work in collaboration with scientists, government managers and non-governmental organizations.

Water and Indigenous Peoples
Edited by R. Boelens, M. Chiba and D. Nakashima, UNESCO: Paris, 177 pp, 2006.  
Based on the papers delivered on the Second and Third World Water Forums (The Hague, 2000, and Kyoto, 2003), this book brings to the fore some of the most incisive indigenous critics of international debates on water access, use and management, as well as indigenous expressions of generosity that share community knowledge and insight in order to propose remedies for the global water crisis. 

Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity
International Social Science Journal - Issue 187 - March 2006
Marie Roué, Editorial Advisor
This issue investigates the relations between local and indigenous societies and nature from the Philippines to Benin, from sub-arctic to Melanesia, and from Thailand to France... 

Reef and Rainforest: An Environmental Encyclopedia of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands
[Kiladi oro vivineidi ria tingitonga pa idere oro pa goana pa Marovo]
By Edvard Hviding, UNESCO: Paris, 252 pp, 2005. [available in English and Marovo]
Reef and Rainforest proposes a voyage of discovery into the lives of the Marovo people. This encyclopedia, based entirely upon local knowledge of the environment, compiles the names and associated stories for some 350 fishes, 450 plants, 100 shells, 80 birds, 80 distinct topographical features of coral reef, sea and coast - and more. Written first and foremost for the use of the Marovo people, many wise elders of the villages and other local experts on reef and rainforest have provided, checked, verified and expanded the names and stories contained in this book.

Evolution of village-based marine resource management in Vanuatu between 1993 to 2001
By R. E. Johannes and F. R. Hickey, UNESCO, 2004
A 1993 study of coastal villages in Vanuatu, an archipelago in the tropical western Pacific, revealed that, within the previous three years, marine resource management measures, designed to reduce or eliminate overfishing or other damaging human impacts on marine resources, had rapidly increased...

NGOs in the Governance of Biodiversity
International Social Science Journal - Issue 178 - December 2003
Marie Roué, Editorial Advisor
Since the traditional ecological knowledge of local and indigenous peoples was written into Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biodiversity, their role in management of their natural resources has achieved international recognition...

Indigenous Knowledge
International Social Science Journal - Issue 173 - September 2002 
Arun Agrawal, Editorial Advisor
The contributions to this issue consider the basic question of how to think about indigenous knowledge and its relationship to power, arguing for greater attention to the contexts in which indigenous peoples live, indigenous knowledge is generated, and interactions between the putative indigenous/local and the alleged scientific/modern occur...

Science, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development 
ICSU Series on Science for Sustainable Development No. 4 
International Council for Science and UNESCO, Marc 2002
In addressing the goals of sustainable development, the role of science is crucial; scientific knowledge and appropriate technologies are central to resolving the economic, social and environmental problems that make current development paths unsustainable. However, science does not constitute the only form of knowledge, and closer links need to be established between science and other forms and systems of knowledge in addressing sustainable development issues and problems at the local level such as natural resources management and biodiversity conservation.

Women’s Knowledge: Traditional Medicine and Nature (Mauritius, Reunion and Rodrigues)

By Laurence Pourchez, 120 pp, 2017.
The Islands of Reunión, Mauritius and Rodrigues have their own unique medical traditions that have emerged from multiple origins through a process of creolisation. This book brings to our attention the knowledge of medicinal plants and medical practices of the women of these islands, with special focus on childbirth. It also considers the place of medicinal knowledge within these evolving societies which are actively confronting the threats and opportunities that globalization poses to local identities.

Knowledges of Nature 11

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in the Americas

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Americas.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in Bolivia, Sucre (20-22 July 2016) contributes ILK to the Americas regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowledges of Nature 10

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Practices related to Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Asia

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Asia.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand (26–28 June 2016) with additional inputs from the subregional workshop in Dhulikhel, Nepal (29 November–2 December 2016) contributes ILK to the Asia-Pacific regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowledges of Nature 9

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Europe and Central Asia(ECA)

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Europe and Central Asia.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in UNESCO, Paris (11-13 January 2016) contributes ILK to the Europe and Central Asia regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowledges of Nature 8

Knowing our Lands and Resources: Indigenous and Local Knowledge of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Africa 

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Africa.

This report from the Dialogue Workshop in UNESCO, Paris (14–16 September 2015) contributes ILK to the African regional assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowledges of Nature 7

Indigenous and Local Knowledge about Pollination and Pollinators associated with Food Production

The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and its Task Force on indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILK) present a series of case studies based on indigenous and local knowledge from Brazil, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Kenya, New Zealand and Panama. This report from the Dialogue Workshop in Panama (1-4 December 2014) contributes ILK to the IPBES pollination assessment, while piloting methods to reinforce ILK in biodiversity assessments.

Knowledges of Nature 6

The Contribution of Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems to IPBES Building Synergies with Science

The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has released the report of the international expert and stakeholder workshop on the contribution of indigenous and local knowledge systems to IPBES. The workshop was convened by the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel, co-organized by the United Nations University (UNU) and UNESCO, and hosted by Japan’s Ministry of Environment. The report summarizes discussions on opportunities, challenges and needs with respect to indigenous and local knowledge in the IPBES framework, and identifies appropriate procedures and approaches for creating synergies between science and indigenous and local knowledge.

Knowledges of Nature 5

Weathering Uncertainty Traditional Knowledge for Climate Change Assessment and Adaptation 
UNESCO-UNU, 2012
'In recent years there has been a growing awareness that scientific knowledge alone is inadequate for solving the climate crisis. The knowledge of local and indigenous peoples is increasingly recognized as an important source of climate knowledge and adaptation strategies.' This new UNESCO-UNU publication is an outcome of an initiative on 'Indigenous Peoples, Marginalized Populations and Climate Change', a partnership that consists of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme, UNESCO and UN University.

Knowledges of Nature 4

Echoes at Fishermen’s Rock – Traditional Tokelau Fishing  
Edited and translated by Antony Hooper and Iuta Tinielu, 2010
This straightforward manual is a collection of the traditional techniques for the capture of crabs, bird and especially fish of the lagoon, the reef and the open ocean of Tokelau. As such, it introduces the various species and thus the rich biodiversity of the small Pacific island country.

Knowledges of Nature 3

Mayangna Knowledge of the Interdependence of People and Nature: Fish and Turtles
[Conocimientos del Pueblo Mayangna sobre la Convivencia del Hombre y la Naturaleza: Peces y Tortugas]
By Paule M Gros and Nacilio Miguel Frithz, 2010 [available in Spanish and Mayangna] 
The Central American tropical rainforest along the border between Nicaragua and Honduras has been the home of the indigenous Mayangna and Miskito for centuries. Their knowledge about the local flora and fauna is extensive and in-depth. This 450 page book – divided into two volumes - captures in meticulous detail the breadth and depth of indigenous knowledge about the aquatic world including a wide range of information about the 30 fishes and six turtles that frequent Mayangna waterways.

Knowledges of Nature 2

Water and Indigenous Peoples
Edited by R. Boelens, M. Chiba and D. Nakashima, UNESCO: Paris, 177 pp, 2006.  
Based on the papers delivered on the Second and Third World Water Forums (The Hague, 2000, and Kyoto, 2003), this book brings to the fore some of the most incisive indigenous critics of international debates on water access, use and management, as well as indigenous expressions of generosity that share community knowledge and insight in order to propose remedies for the global water crisis. 

Knowledges of Nature 1

Reef and Rainforest: An Environmental Encyclopedia of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands
[Kiladi oro vivineidi ria tingitonga pa idere oro pa goana pa Marovo]
By Edvard Hviding, UNESCO: Paris, 252 pp, 2005. [available in English and Marovo]
Reef and Rainforest proposes a voyage of discovery into the lives of the Marovo people. This encyclopedia, based entirely upon local knowledge of the environment, compiles the names and associated stories for some 350 fishes, 450 plants, 100 shells, 80 birds, 80 distinct topographical features of coral reef, sea and coast - and more. Written first and foremost for the use of the Marovo people, many wise elders of the villages and other local experts on reef and rainforest have provided, checked, verified and expanded the names and stories contained in this book.

Cultural Diversity and Biodiversity

International Social Science Journal - Issue 187 - March 2006

Marie Roué, Editorial Advisor
This issue investigates the relations between local and indigenous societies and nature from the Philippines to Benin, from sub-arctic to Melanesia, and from Thailand to France... 

NGOs in the Governance of Biodiversity

International Social Science Journal - Issue 178 - December 2003

Marie Roué, Editorial Advisor
Since the traditional ecological knowledge of local and indigenous peoples was written into Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biodiversity, their role in management of their natural resources has achieved international recognition...

Indigenous Knowledge

International Social Science Journal - Issue 173 - September 2002

Arun Agrawal, Editorial Advisor
The contributions to this issue consider the basic question of how to think about indigenous knowledge and its relationship to power, arguing for greater attention to the contexts in which indigenous peoples live, indigenous knowledge is generated, and interactions between the putative indigenous/local and the alleged scientific/modern occur...

Bringing Indigenous Knowledge into Education

Interview of Mrs. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
Published in Planet B Magazine

Mayangna people try to safeguard their culture 

News published on the UNESCO San José website on 30 November 2010 
[in Spanish only]

Unesco Encyclopedia highlights the knowledge of the Mayangna community News published in El Nuevo Diario on 27 November 2010 

[in Spanish only]

Indigenous Knowledge in Global Policies and Practice for Education, Science and Culture 

Compiled and edited by Douglas Nakashima, 31 pp., 2010 
Science exerts a powerful influence on our daily lives, our interactions with the environment, our value systems and worldview. However, it is just one knowledge system amongst many. Other knowledge systems, many of them embedded in a remarkable diversity of cultures and sustaining a broad spectrum of ways of life, constitute a rich and diverse intellectual heritage whose importance for attaining international development objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), continues to be underestimated.

Mayangna knowledge deep in the heart of Mesoamerica

A World of Science, Vol. 6, No. 4, October-December 2008
By Paule Gros and Douglas Nakashima

One size does not fit all

A World of Science, Vol. 6, No. 4, October-December 2008
Editorial by Walter Erdelen on the Mayangna people

An Indigenous Knowledge Forum on Climate Change Impacts

Pachamama, Volume 2 Issue 2, May 2008
By Douglas Nakashima

A global forum takes to the frontlines of climate change

A World of Science, Vol. 6, No. 3, July-September 2008
By Peter Bates

Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in a global society : Traditional Knowledge in Sustainable Development and Resource Management

No. 7 in UNESCO's Programme on the Eradication of Poverty, Especially Extreme Poverty Brochure, 2006

The San Community: Sustainable Development before its time

The New Courier, May 2005
By N. Crawhall

Spared by the sea 

The New Courier, May 2005
By D. Elias on the Moken tribe, Surin Islands, Thailand

The knowledge that saved the sea gypsies

A World of Science, Vol. 3, No. 2, April-June 2005 
By D. Elias, S. Rungmanee et I. Cruz on the Moken tribe, Surin Islands, Thailand

Marovo People and Knowledge of Nature

Article from : Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
24/09/2005

Students Write Assignments in their Language

Article from : Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation
22/09/2005

Indigenous Knowledge, Peoples and Sustainable Practice 

Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change - Volume 5, 2002 
By Douglas Nakashima and Marie Roué

Local Knowledge, Global Goals

The 'Local Knowledge, Global Goals' poster series and publication introduce important concepts and emerging issues relating to indigenous and local knowledge systems and their interactions with science and policy. The publication expands on the case studies, giving added detail and context. Together or separately, they are a resource that can be used by teachers, researchers or policy-makers.

Environmental education materials (booklets and posters) for youths and adults in Timor Leste

The materials, available in Tetum language, consist of 3 booklets: (i) plants in Timor Leste for textile production process, (ii) Producing red and blue colors from native dye plants, and (iii) Nino Konis Santa National Park. Besides the booklets, six A3 stimulus posters with a list of activities were also developed to assist the class activities.

Learning and Knowing in Indigenous Societies Today

A poster of the UNESCO book entitled 'Learning and Knowing in Indigenous Societies Today' (in 3 sections)...

Indigenous Knowledge posters

In 2008, the LINKS programme launched a series of seven posters introducing important concepts and issues relating to knowledge in indigenous societies today. The posters serve as a learning resource that strengthens awareness of the many opportunities and challenges facing indigenous knowledge holders...

Poster of the Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) programme

Sophisticated knowledge of the natural world is not confined to science. Societies from all parts of the world possess rich sets of experience, understanding and explanation.

The Canoe Is the People: Indigenous Navigation in the Pacific

Thousands of years ago, when most European sailors were still hugging the coast, the island peoples of the Pacific held the knowledge and skills to explore the great ocean paths around and beyond their homes. Voyage into this CD to find out how.

Dream Trackers: Yapa Art and Knowledge of the Australian Desert 

Fifty men and women, custodians of the Warlipiri land, take you through their ritual, visual and performing arts, on the tracks of some of their eternal ancestors, the Dreamings, embodied in sacred sites, the book of the earth and its memory.

Indigenous Peoples, Marginalized Populations and Climate Change: Vulnerability, Adaptation and Traditional Knowledge 
19-­‐21 July 2011, Mexico City, Mexico

Proceedings of the international workshop co-convened by the United Nations University; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity; United Nations Development Program/GEF Small Grants Programme and Mexican National Institute of Ecologyto identify, compile and analyze relevant indigenous and local observations, knowledge and practices related to understanding climate change impacts, adaptation and mitigation.

Marrakesh, 2016

The conference aimed to bring together experts, researchers and scientists from indigenous peoples, local communities and governments. Speakers provided testimonies on how local communities are grappling with impacts of climate change and consequently their efforts to adapt. They also shared case studies highlighting how indigenous and local knowledge can be sources of renewed understanding, resilience, and resistance. The conference was organized by UNESCO and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS-France), in partnership with Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee and Tebtebba.

Book of abstracts and bionotes of participants

Paris, 2015

The purpose of the conference is to bring together not only indigenous peoples but also the experts, scientists and researchers who engage in the study and observation on the indigenous knowledge and local communities. Indigenous peoples, scientists and governments are invited to a transdisciplinary dialogue to better understand the role that indigenous and local knowledge can play, alongside science, in observing and responding to the impacts of a changing climate.

Book of abstracts and bionotes of participants