Indigenous Knowledge and Environmental Stewardship: Reclaiming Local Wisdom for a Sustainable Planet
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The United Nations World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5 June. The WED was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 during the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment and is dedicated to raising awareness on environmental protection and sustainability. The 2026 edition focused on climate change and the urgent signals the Earth is sending, as well as the signals we choose to send back. According to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his annual video message for World Environment Day released on 3 June 2026, “This World Environment Day, warning signals are everywhere”. That means every voice capable of creating or sharing these awareness-raising messages is crucial at this time.
Indigenous knowledge is considered a major factor in addressing climate change, even though some aspects of it have been eroded or lost through colonisation (Hansen, 2018). Indigenous Knowledge can be defined as “a cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relation of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment” (Berkes et al., 2000).
Indigenous peoples are social groups who have lived for generations on territories inherited from their ancestors. Indigenous communities are the local, place-based expressions of these peoples: they exercise collective stewardship and in many cases, sovereign rights over land and natural resources and organise social and cultural life in accordance with customary laws and practices.
One reason Indigenous knowledge is so valuable for understanding climate change and its impacts is that it draws on long-tested experiences and observations of local communities, which can provide important insights into evolving seasonal and weather patterns (Codjoe, 2012). People in the most vulnerable areas with the least developed adaptation systems, such as in the Sahel, can use Indigenous knowledge to combat the effects of climate change on their communities. According to Nyong (2006), the fact that communities in the Sahel have survived to date despite rapid population growth indicates that they have developed Indigenous mechanisms and strategies to cope with recurrent droughts. Some of these practices may already incorporate elements of mitigation and adaptation. Traditional knowledge about how local populations managed past droughts can offer valuable guidance for responding to current and future climate events. Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into climate-change policies can therefore yield cost-effective, participatory and sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies (Nyong, 2006).
Indigenous peoples’ responses to the harmful effects of climate change vividly reflect their deep connection to the environment. As Ishaya and Abaje (2008) observe, they creatively interpret and address these impacts, combining traditional knowledge with new technologies to develop solutions that can help society cope with future changes. They possess rich but often overlooked traditional knowledge systems, particularly regarding ecology, the management and restoration of natural ecosystems and responses to climate change. Bridging these knowledge systems with scientific approaches offers an opportunity to develop innovative solutions for climate change mitigation and resilience, as well as for biodiversity conservation (Von Braun, 2024). For example, farmers in Sierra Leone respond to climate variability through traditional techniques by changing their cropping sequences, adjusting planting dates, diversifying crops, using crop residues and conserving soil moisture (Shikwambana & Malaza, 2022).
For several years now, interest in Indigenous knowledge (IK) in the context of environmental stewardship has been growing steadily. International organisations are working to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into their climate and environmental strategies and policies. The United Nations system, its agencies and member states have gradually increased their recognition of the importance of Indigenous knowledge systems in addressing and in some cases resolving some of today’s most complex challenges related to our understanding of and relationship with biodiversity, biomes and ecosystems. Recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems started to emerge through the Nairobi Work Programme (NWP) on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. The NWP, established at COP11 in Nairobi in 2005, subsequently served as a dialogue forum and clearinghouse for adaptation measures.
Another example is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It establishes new biodiversity conservation targets for the period 2022-2030 and highlights the essential role of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional knowledge in meeting those goals. The framework contains explicit targets that stress the need to respect and safeguard traditional knowledge.
Moreover, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has progressively acknowledged the value of indigenous knowledge systems across its assessments and special reports. This growing inclusion reflects an increased recognition that Indigenous knowledge provides important, often complementary insights into climate impacts, adaptation strategies and resilience.
Although the importance of Indigenous knowledge is increasingly recognised in international institutions, its integration into national government programmes and strategies remains insufficient. According to Hansen (2018), indigenous knowledge should be integrated into training programmes on disaster planning, land‑use development, environmental protection and sustainable development strategies. Indigenous knowledge holders are actively committed to raising awareness about climate change, arguing that without societal transformation, the harmful effects of climate change will continue to worsen to the detriment of people worldwide.
World Environment Day could be an excellent opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of Indigenous knowledge in combating climate change and protecting the environment. It would be a good idea to dedicate one of the annual WEDs to highlighting the role of Indigenous knowledge in environmental stewardship.
REFERENCES
Codjoe, S. N. A., Owusu, G., & Burkett, V. (2014). Perception, experience, and Indigenous knowledge of climate change and variability: The case of Accra, a sub-Saharan African city. Regional environmental change, 14(1), 369-383.
Hansen, J. G., & Antsanen, R. (2018). What can traditional Indigenous knowledge teach us about changing our approach to human activity and environmental stewardship in order to reduce the severity of climate change?. International Indigenous Policy Journal, 9(3), 1-14.
Nyong, A., Adesina, F., & Osman Elasha, B. (2007). The value of Indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel. Mitigation and Adaptation strategies for global Change, 12(5), 787-797.
Oladele, O. I., & Amara, A. (2024). Farmers’ use of Indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation across farming systems and agroecological zones of Sierra Leone. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 20(3), 473-483.
United Nations. (2026). Message – Environment Day. Retrieved June 5, 2026, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/environment-day/message
von Braun, J., & Alford, H. (Eds.). (2024, March 14–15). Indigenous peoples’ knowledge and the sciences: Combining knowledge and science on vulnerabilities and solutions for resilience. Pontifical Academy of Sciences & Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences; Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
Sandoval-Rivera, J. C. A. (2020). Environmental education and Indigenous knowledge: Towards the connection of local wisdom with international agendas in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education, 14(1), 14-24.
About the author
Benjamin Abugri
Benjamin Abugri is a specialist in Knowledge Management, Digitalisation and Learning, with extensive experience supporting agricultural research, development research, institutional learning and food systems transformation in Africa. He serves as Lead Specialist for Knowledge Management, Digitalisation and Learning at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and coordinates the continental Knowledge Management for Agricultural Development Community of Practice. His work focuses on strengthening knowledge systems and knowledge diplomacy, facilitating communities of practice and promoting the integration of scientific, local and Indigenous knowledge into development processes.
Mody Ndoye Elhadji is a dedicated environmental and climate governance professional with a strong background in environmental science, coastal vulnerability assessment, environmental and social impact assessment and climate policy support. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry and geosciences from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, as well as a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the Institute of Environmental Sciences at the same university, where he received the “Global Monitoring for Environment and Security” (GMES) grant from the University of Ghana and the MarCNoWA consortium. He works as an environmental and social consultant for private environmental firms in Senegal and has worked on environmental studies, adaptation planning and public-sector climate initiatives, thereby contributing to evidence-based decision-making and sustainable development.
