Biodiversity is inextricably intertwined with the well-being of people and of Planet Earth. Across the globe, people are in constant interaction with the biological components of their environment, and through this interaction, they nurture sophisticated sets of knowledge and practice, which include both science and indigenous & local knowledge (ILK). In the face of unprecedented declines in biodiversity over past decades, it has become increasingly apparent that synergies must be built among knowledge systems in order to provide policy-makers and science practitioners with the best available knowledge to decide what urgent action must be taken to halt the rapidly accelerating degradation and loss of the biodiversity and ecosystem services that underpin sustainability, as well as resilience in the face of global change.
As a newly established intergovernmental entity, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES) builds upon the ongoing work and achievements of bodies such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), as well as previous processes such
as the International Mechanism of Scientific Expertise on Biodiversity (IMOSEB) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). The key role of indigenous and local knowledge in biodiversity conservation and management has been consistently highlighted within all of the aforementioned processes, including the 1992 CBD article 8 (j) that requires Parties to ‘respect, preserve and maintain the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communities and the MA 2004 International Conference on Bridging Scales and Epistemologies: Linking Local Knowledge and Global Science in Multi-scale Assessments, amongst many others.
The contribution of indigenous and local knowledge systems to IPBES: Building synergies with science
Year: 2013
