A Rethinking to Integrate Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Resources Management of Sri Lanka

Indigenous knowledge (IK) is the special information that is restricted to a specific culture or civilization. It is sometimes referred to as traditional science, folk knowledge, local knowledge, and people's knowledge. It establishes a connection between each person's survival and the entirety of nature and the components that make up life. Indigenous knowledge incorporates all aspects of life—spirituality, history, cultural practices, social interactions, language, and healing. It presents real-world examples of how communities interact with the environment and offers workable solutions to people's issues. Indigenous peoples make significant contributions to the management of sustainable resources. Recent studies demonstrate how natural resource managers might enhance their conservation strategies by considering the requirements and viewpoints of indigenous people. Indigenous knowledge and natural resource management create many environmental, social, cultural, and economic benefits for all. Indigenous people can contribute to the preservation of natural resources by safeguarding historic structures, minimizing environmental degradation, and making handicrafts that will draw tourists and sustainably improve the local economy. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that possess indigenous people whose history dates back to the fifth century BC. However, Sri Lankan local knowledge is limited only to very few parts of the country as in dry zone, and in parts of small groups have been identified the applicability of local knowledge to sustainable resource management. Their nature-friendly natural resource utilization and conservation methods are still practiced within their communities. Although early people used to practice such local knowledge in agriculture, soil, water, forest and disaster management, etc., nowadays people are not aware of how important local knowledge is. Therefore, this chapter attempts to review the indigenous knowledge and natural resources management of the country while addressing the implications and possibilities of IK for sustainable well-being in the country.