Impact of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Contemporary Time

Abstract

Traditional knowledge is that set of knowledge, which the indigenous communities have developed through an empirical study of the nature and environment; here empirical study is the operative term. Therefore, the amalgamation of anthropology and botany led to the development of a new area of expertise, which is known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This branch of study has become extremely significant due to certain essential factors involved in the antiquity of information and direct experience. In furtherance of this, TEK serves as a crucial tool for climatic improvement. TEK’s necessity has been acknowledged only in the contemporary world due to a drastic transformation in the global scenario. This paper aims to analyze the distinction between scientific knowledge and TEK. The world is under an imminent threat of global warming; this has become one of the primary causes to give precedence to TEK over other areas of study. Globalization, on the other hand, has led to the loss of ecological imbalance in the modern era this includes loss of flora and fauna as well as the habitat of the indigenous communities. Therefore, it is imperative to study the cause and effect of globalization and global warming.
The adversity brought forth by the technological expansion has become the prime reason to contemplate over the lack of protection being conferred over TEK. The primary objective of this paper is to bridge the gap between expansion and geography through legitimate means that are neutral and benefit all interested stakeholders. One of the major challenges is the non-documentation of such myriad expanse of traditional & cultural know-how, TEK is a part of the intangible property belonging to a community, therefore, no documentation per se exists it is a mere verbal form of knowledge being passed on to lineal generations. There are several deficiencies of TEK that weakens its protection visà-vis other intangible property rights, thus, a more stringent regime is required to fulfill the lacunae concerning TEK.
This paper objectively studies the cases that have corroborated the significance of traditional knowledge in this era, including incidents wherein the indigenous communities have been successful in predicting natural disasters. The pressing concern of the indigenous communities is loss of their resources which are intrinsically linked to their survival The need of the hour is to address these issues through channelizing the various forms of traditional knowledge. For this, the world needs to break away from the myth that traditional knowledge is only connected to cultural expression and folklore. TEK can become a lucrative source of data if we accumulate environmental proficiency under one umbrella and strive for its conservation. The laxity over TEK has resulted in massive decline in the biosphere, this paper aims to put forth plausible solutions to eradicate intervention by developed countries and enumerate ways to aid the sustainable use of traditional knowledge.