Social Sustainability
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Definition
Traditional ecological knowledge is the cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief about the relationships of living beings with one another and their environment, evolved by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission (Berkes' standard definition). Embedded in Indigenous and local communities' management of fire, water, soils, species and seasons, TEK has demonstrably sustained biodiversity in community-managed territories — lands Indigenous peoples manage contain much of the world's remaining biodiversity.
References
This reference provides supporting context for how “Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)” is defined and used.
Source imported for editorial provenance.
Overview
How it is used
The concept structures co-management of protected areas, fire management programmes (cultural burning), climate adaptation planning, and IPBES assessments that formally integrate Indigenous knowledge.
Why it matters
Eighty percent of remaining biodiversity lives on Indigenous-managed lands; TEK is the operating manual for stewarding it.