Mainstreaming Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) Systems in Global Climate Policy for Resilient Ecosystems and Societies

The impact of climate change, pollution, loss of ecosystem services, and biodiversity has been rampant and has intensified over the last few decades. The first victims of these impacts are the vulnerable groups in developing and underdeveloped countries, specifically the Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC). Global South is home to one the highest number of indigenous people, which warrants the need to address the ongoing environmental issues relating to climate change and enhance efforts for climate change adaptation and mitigation. However, despite numerous ongoing climate discussions that acknowledge climate justice and climate policies in place, stress and support the role of indigenous people as stewards of our environment. There are clear evidence and examples of IPLC successfully protecting our natural resources by using Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge (ITEK), unfortunately, they are often excluded from formal decision-making process. Therefore, the present chapter is an attempt to elaborate inclusion of IPLC and ITEK in national and international climate and associated conservation policies to help proposed to achieve adaptation and mitigation targets. We further explore key enabling and constraining conditions while mainstreaming ITEK systems and hybridization of diverse relevant knowledge systems for achieving global climate targets. Finally, the chapter also reflects on the lessons from UNFCCC COPs that deliberates on including indigenous knowledge for resilient ecosystems and societies.