Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge for Mitigating Climate Change Hazards: Resilience from the Roots
Ahilya V. Waghmode
Department of Botany, Sadguru Gadage Maharaj College, Karad, Maharashtra, India.
Hemendra P. Shinde
*
P.G. Department of Botany & Research Center, K.V.N. Naik Shikshan Prasarak Sanstha’s Arts Commerce Science College Nasik, Maharashtra, India.
Pavitra Chippalakatti
Department of Botany, Karnataka University, Dharwad, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
India is the top most country in human resources which displays its wealth of diversity in religions, cultures traditions, belief systems, fairs, and festivals, being a developing country rapid urbanization, industrialization, and deforestation activities are at the peak and are the consequence of growing population occurred at the cost of the environment and ecology, contributes to the global existential emergency of climate change. There is urgent need of understanding the importance of ecological services and putting efforts to respect and preserve them, along with finding solution for the climate changes. Technological inventions also have some limits in case of climate change mitigation. Many of the traditional ecological practices, indigenous knowledge and believes in the society can significantly contribute to this climate change issues. Thus, the present article reviews the role of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) in mitigating climate change hazards, with emphasis on its contributions to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem resilience, and sustainable resource management.
Also, it highlights the recent evidence on the integration of ITEK with modern climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, identifying best practices, challenges, and policy implications for enhancing community-based resilience to climate change.
Keywords: Indigenous, traditional, ecological, knowledge, climate change