Indigenous Knowledge Systems as Vehicles for Charting Sustainability Pathways

Natural resources are a key means of sustenance for people across the globe as they provide primary resources such as wood, fuel, and food. They are also vital with respect to the provision of critical ecosystem services. Moreover, their use and development is argued to affect all facets of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution coupled with health consequences. This has foregrounded the sustainable management of natural resources as an urgent global policy issue, crucial for the goals of sustainable development (in general) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, the challenge of safeguarding a regular provision of natural resources has always been a core factor in the development of civilizations and historically subjected to varying forms of management. However, management of natural resources is knowledge intensive and requires constant reiteration. Indigenous knowledge denotes forms of biocultural knowledge which are spatially and/or culturally context specific, collectively owned, holistic in nature, and adaptive in approach. Indigenous knowledge are vital elements of global cultural diversity which mediates local actions concerning fundamental aspects of daily life, as well as inform locally appropriate sustainable development. Indigenous knowledge influences the well-being of a significant section of the global populace, especially in developing countries. An estimated 80 percent of the global populace rely on IK for medication, while another 50 percent are dependent on IK for their nutrition. This uses qualitative methods involving literature reviews to explore the role of IK in facilitating sustainability. It highlights the contribution of IK to the global sustainability as complementary vehicles for sustainability pathways, and addresses some challenges associated.